


Don't I Know You?

by Fightforfiction



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Cheating, Emotional Roller Coaster, Eve is an investigative jounralist, F/F, Niko is boring as shit, Smut, Villanelle being her cocky self, Villanelle is a translator, Villaneve of course, We got the whole gang here, murder and death and all that jazz, of course theres shameless smut, scandalous shit, we got fluff, we got hardcore Villaneve, we got parallels with the show, we got smutt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24855019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fightforfiction/pseuds/Fightforfiction
Summary: "You never told me you were a journalist,” Villanelle said nonchalantly, walking into Eve's office like she owned the place.Eve closed her office door, turning around to face Villanelle. She watched her carefully, her eyes sweeping up and down the other woman’s figure. She could see Villanelle’s eyebrows twitch. Eve sighed, leaning against the door. “we weren’t really in a talking environment.”“You never told me you were a translator.”Villanelle chuckled, tucking her hands into her pant pockets. Eve could not help but think the action to be annoying. And hot. So, so hot.The blonde stepped closer to her. Eve could feel her heart thrumming in her chest. “As you said Eve,” Villanelle purred, “we weren’t really in a talking environment.”OREve is a journalist who is obsessed with chasing the story of an assassin and Villanelle is a translator who has been tasked with keeping Eve distracted - in more ways than one
Relationships: Eve Polastri & Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 42
Kudos: 196





	1. She's Got That Umph

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you guys enjoy reading this fic as much as I love writing it :)

Eve stared down at the gin and tonic that she swirled in her hand. It had been another shit day at work and Bill had convinced Eve and Elena to meet him at the pub.

“He’s a right old git,” Elena said as she swigged her beer. They both had felt the wrath of their boss’s idiocy that day. The editor-in-chief of their shitty magazine, _The Haleton._ Frank Haleton had no knowledge on how to run a magazine, he was given the title of EIC and drove the paper into the ground. Eve had applied to the paper many years ago as a way out of her hometown in Connecticut, she had worked for a small shitty paper there. She got the job, moved to London, and met Niko. Eve had been completely submerged in the idea of the London life and experience, causing her to not notice how shocking her new job really was.

Eve sighed, looking over to her friend and co-worker, feeling somewhat responsible for the shit they got into. “I’m sorry for dragging you and Bill into this.”

“It’s okay babe!” Elena patted Eve, “you would think that the investigative journalist job that you applied for would actually entail some investigative journalism, no?”

Eve laughed into her glass glancing over to her friend, Elena smirked proudly, happy she was able to pull a smile out of Eve. Frank had reamed Eve for trying to submit a piece about the recent murder of a French politician, claiming that _no one wants to read about dead people._ Bill and Elena tried to convince Frank that the piece was worth printing, but Frank, being subtly racist as always, made Eve write another piece on Korean restaurants in the area. It wasn’t like Eve had a double degree in criminal psychology and investigative journalism.

Bill smacked his pint of beer on the table, causing Eve’s and Elena’s glasses to rattle. “Woah there cowboy,” Elena raised her eyebrows, chuckling at Bill’s obvious annoyance.

“Frank is a dickswab. That’s right I said it.” Bill straightened up and took a gulp of beer, leaving him with a foamy moustache. “He has no right to tell us what _journalism is_ and what it _isn’t_.”

“He is our EIC, Bill.” Eve shot back. Bill grumbled something more about him being a dickswab.

“No, Bill’s right Eve.” Elena said over her beer, “Frank doesn’t know the difference between a travel piece and the sporting column. He only got the job because he inherited it from his dear ol’ dad.”

Eve sighed, agreeing with Elena. “It’s not like we can do anything though… Frank has made this paper so unbearable to read that no one would hire us.”

Elena nodded looking sombre. Bill though, had a knowing smile playing on his lips. Eve glared at him, “what are you smiling at? You look like a creep.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Bill hummed, taking a long drawn out sip of his beer, “I may have heard through the grape vine that Frank’s daddy is being bought out.”

“What?”

“Bill you’re not serious,” Elena said, excitement and shock written on her features. “If you’re lying I’m going to kill you, you old git.”

Bill laughed, shaking his head. “I’m not lying, I have no reason to be. I just heard that Carolyn Martens bought out _The Haleton_ and might be our new boss.”

Elena gasped, making Eve giggle. Carolyn Martens was Elena’s girl-crush and wet dream rolled into one. She was one of the most successful journalists of their time, owning and publishing some of the world’s best magazines and papers. Eve appreciated the blatant honesty and humour that Carolyn had brought to her papers, ranging the topics of travel, politics and crime with easy transitions and reliable sources. Elena practically drooled over Carolyn’s work. So did Eve.

“No _fucking_ way!” Elena slammed her hand on the table, letting out a loud pitched squeal. “Bill you are kidding! You are _fucking_ kidding me!”

Eve laughed at her friend’s outburst, she looked up at Bill and raised her glass to him, he mirrored her actions. Elena ordered another round of drinks slamming her card onto the table claiming that it was her shout.

* * *

Eve fumbled with her house keys as the front door light barely worked, giving her limited visibility to work with. The six gin and tonics and two beers she drank didn’t do much to help with her fumbling either. She eventually got the front door open. Eve didn’t seem to notice the amount of noise she made as she locked the front door and made her way upstairs and into her room.

Niko was sitting up against the headboard, a book perched on his lap. _Boring._ He never seemed to do anything fun besides reading, marking papers or playing bridge. She wanted him to be more exciting, _impulsive_. He stared her down, disappointment etched into his features, “Eve, do you realise what time it is?”

“Bedtime?” Eve replied, yawning dramatically while changing into pyjamas.

“Eve.” Niko said sternly, like he was scolding one of his students. Eve felt a spark of excitement at his tone, hoping that it could lead into some form of role play. “It’s past midnight.”

“I’m _so_ sorry, Mr. Polastri.” Eve winked, slinking onto bed, she wasn’t sure if she was slurring her words or not. She giggled as she laid a hand on his arm, “Am I in trouble, sir?”

Niko stiffened at her attempts a flirting, pulling his arm away and letting Eve’s hand fall to the bed. “You couldn’t have called? I was worried sick.”

“Niko.” Eve closed her eyes and rubbed her eyes, annoyed that Niko shrugged off her flirting, he never seemed to pick up on Eve’s attempts to make their sex life exciting. “You know that Bill, Elena and I go out most Friday nights.”

“I want you to text or call me at least every ha-“

“ _Every half-hour or hour,”_ Eve cut Niko off, poorly mimicking his polish accent. “Yeah, yeah I know. You tell me to every time I come home.”

“I just want to look after you Eve,” Niko said angrily, placing his hand on her cheek. Eve felt the need to slap it away. _God I’m an asshole,_ she thought to herself. “Why won’t you let me?”

Eve huffed, not wanting to answer, she turned away from her husband and grabbed makeup wipes. She had enough of the conversation, feeling like she was constantly chasing her tail trying to please Niko. All she wanted was to be left to do something fun without the constant need to reassure her husband that she was safe. Eve was 38 years old for god’s sake, she could look after herself.

Eve turned off her bedside lamp and threw herself onto her pillows, making a point to turn away from Niko. He sighed and put his book down. Eve watched as darkness filled the room at the click of Niko’s lamp. She still felt the warmth of the alcohol sitting heavy in her veins, quietly hoping that her hangover isn’t too bad.

“Night Eve, I love you.”

“Good night, Niko.”

* * *

Monday morning called for croissants and coffee. Elena dumped a bag of pastries on Eve’s desk and handed her a latte, while rattling on about this new charcoal-based diet she was trying out. Eve smirked at her friend’s obsession with beauty trends, seeing why Frank always assigned Elena the diet and exercise pieces.

Eve faced the wall of her and Elena’s shared cubicle, looking at the map of Europe that had red yarn strewn across it. Eve was following a series of murders and random deaths that had occurred across multiple countries over the last three years, they didn’t seem to have any connection, but Eve felt a nagging feeling in her bones. Something or _someone_ was responsible for these deaths. It was a shame that Frank wouldn’t let Eve publish or write anything on the murders, stating that their reader base was not ‘cut out’ to read the gory details. Eve felt that her pieces on the murders would allow them to reach an even wider reader base.

Eve sipped on her coffee, feeling the warm sensation of caffeine spreading through her body. God, she loved Elena and her ability to find niche and amazing cafes. Elena had changed the subject from her charcoal-based diet to the guy she was currently seeing, this sparked Eve’s interest and caused her to pull her eyes away from the wall.

“ _So_ ,” Elena leaned over her desk crossing her arms and giving Eve a cheeky grin. “I met him off of Tinder while he was in London for the weekend, and his name is _Daan._ ” She said his name with a German quip. “He’s from Germany, he’s a bartender in one of the best clubs in Berlin and studying to be a paramedic, how _hot_ is that?”

“Very sexy if you ask me,” Bill said as he leaned against their cubicle entrance, he had a knowing grin on his face. “Tell me if I was stabbed on the dance floor, would _Daan_ be able to supply me with medical aid?”

“Uh, duh,” Elena rolled her eyes, over dramatically sipping on the straw of her iced latte. “Of course, he could and would probably be able to make a mean margarita at the same time.”

Eve started to hum the tune to the song _Murder on The Dance Floor_ making Bill and Elena laughed. They listened intently as Elena divulged them with information of her wild sex crazed weekend. Eve felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of Elena having exciting and invigorating sex with a stranger. She often had dreams that Niko would one day agree to some form of role play or _rough_ play, but it always fell through at the idea of his lanky body and soft polish accent trying to do and say dirty things to her.

Their conversation was interrupted by Frank who loudly announced that everyone convene in the conference room. They sat at the back of the conference room not wanting to be in anywhere near the front row of seats, as Frank had a habit of spitting when he got heated over the lack of ‘know-how’ in the office.

But Frank wasn’t alone at the front of the conference room, a young man around Elena’s age stood next to him. He looked bored and a little bit lost. Frank looked like shit though, Bill elbowed Eve in the ribs excitedly pointing out how his shirt was buttoned unevenly.

The room when quiet once everyone was seated, the front row remained empty. Frank cleared his voice, “I think some of you may already heard, but it is best to address this with all staff.” His voice wavered. Eve almost felt bad for him. But then she remembered all the times he asked her where about from China her family was from. She didn’t feel bad anymore. “Carolyn Martens, of _Martens Publishing and Co.,_ has bought out our humble paper and I will no longer be acting as editor-in-chief.”

A hum had started from the staff, Bill and Elena stifled their cheers and Eve couldn’t contain the smile that was forcing itself onto her features. Frank looked dejected at the reaction of his staff, straightening himself up and saying in a proud manner, “ _The Haleton_ has been a lovely paper and has provided its readers with everything they wanted and more, I am sad to see it go.” Eve rolled her eyes, knowing that majority of their reading base was a bunch of old white people who loved Borris Johnson and Brexit.

The man next to Frank cleared his throat, causing Frank to step back and shut his mouth. The man smiled awkwardly at the staff, “Hi guys… My name is Kenny Stowton and I am a representative of _Martens Publishing and Co.,_ I have come here today to introduce you to the vision that Carolyn's has for this magazine.”

Eve could practically feel the Elena buzzing next to her, Kenny continued. “Carolyn will be in sometime today to talk to you about your new roles in our publication, unfortunately some of you will be made redundant, but we feel that we can benefit from the experience that some of the people in this team has. We also will be bringing in more people to fill out the team that will help bring this paper to its full potential.

“Unfortunately, as mentioned before, Frank has to step down from his position as EIC for the paper,” Kenny says awkwardly, attempting to give Frank a reassuring smile. “Carolyn will act as EIC in the meantime but will eventually allocate the position to someone who can maintain the vision that Carolyn has for the paper.”

Elena digs her hand into Eve’s arm, giving her a wide-eyed look. She whispers to Eve, “Babe, you could totally get that promotion.” Eve scoffed, giving her friend a pointed look.

“What about me?” Bill leaned over Eve, injecting himself into their conversation like always. Eve loved him for his brashness and honesty. “I’ve been here longer than Eve and am much better looking than she is.”

Eve slapped Bill on the shoulder, earning herself a wink. Elena stifled a laugh shaking her head at Bill. “I’m sorry Bill, but Eve just has this _umph_ about her, you know?” Eve rolls her eyes and lets her head fall into her hands.

“No, no I get it,” Bill holds his hands up in surrender, he wraps his arm around Eve’s shoulders. “You’re right though Elena, she has a very sexy _umph_ about her.”

Eve stifled a laugh, trying not to bring too much attention to them. “We don’t even know what Carolyn’s _vision_ is yet, I don’t even know if I’ll buy what she’s selling.”

Elena looked at her quizzically, knowing that Eve has loved every piece of work that Carolyn has published in the past. Eve knew that Carolyn would make this paper just as good as all of her other publications, and she knew that she desperately would want to step up as EIC.

They basically just caught the end of Kenny’s presentation, as he said something about the magazine eventually moving to exclusively being an online publication.

* * *

Eve peered over her cubicle walls, staring at Frank as he packed away his things, the glass walls doing little to lighten the sounds of his crying. “Poor bastard,” Elena deadpanned, staring at her computer.

Eve laughed, sitting down in her chair, swinging herself to face Elena. “What are you doing?”

“Compiling some of my best work to show to Carolyn when she comes in.”

“Ooh,” Eve leaned forward, resting her head on her fist. “What do you have so far?”

“Uuuh, mostly my social political pieces,” Elena answered, not taking he eyes off of the screen. “You know the ones where I called out the government for being super racist and all that jazz.”

Eve nodded, smiling at Elena’s eagerness to please. Eve thought about doing the same, but just as she booted up her computer, Bill basically sprinted into their cubicle. Eve and Elena looked up at him startled, he looked like he was bursting at the seems in excitement.

“Carolyn is here and has requested to see us.”

“What?” Eve sputtered.

* * *

Eve, Elena and Bill sat across from Carolyn Martens, she was a tall and intimidating woman, sitting with her hands entwined on her desk. “So,” She began. “Frank tells me that you are his _superstar_ team.”

The three of them looked at her shocked. Eve thought that Frank hated their work, as all he seemed to do was butt heads with them at any chance he got.

“I agree with him actually,” Carolyn said as a matter of fact, “It may come as no surprise to you all that I do extensive research on all of the publication companies that I take over. I ensure that the people that I am employing can properly represent my company and follow the vision that I have.”

Elena shot Eve a wink, making Eve feel her chest constrict. Carolyn continues, “Mr. Pargrave, I see that you are very ingrained in the political side of things?”

“Yes, I am,” Bill sits up straighter. “I like to focus on world politics more than just British.”

“I also see that you are well versed in German, am I correct?”

“Yes I am, I lived in Germany for quite some time and I am very familiar with their culture.”

“Interesting, I find that you will be an integral part of the team,” Carolyn said, straightening the glasses on her nose. She turned to Elena, “Miss Felton.” Elena nodded eagerly. “I love your brashness and honesty about the socio-political climate in the UK. I loved your works on Brexit and I love the flare of dark humour that you bring to your pieces, you are a very bright young woman.”

Eve could feel Elena bursting with joy at Carolyn’s words. “Thank, you ma’am, you have no idea how thankful I am to hear that from one of my heroes.”

“Oh no need for formalities, Miss Felton.” Carolyn waved off Elena’s attempt at flattery, a smile playing on her features. “I do enjoy your work and I am looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table.” Elena beamed at Carolyn’s words.

“Now, Mrs. Polastri,” Carolyn looked to Eve, she could feel her heart in her throat. “I have been very eager to speak to you. Frank mentioned that you had an affinity for crime, am I correct?” Eve nodded. “I hope you don’t mind, but I had a look at your collection in your cubicle.” Eve swallowed hard, feeling dizzy at Carolyn’s words. “I must say that I am quite impressed at your ability to keep up with these murders, you really have an eye for detail. I would love to see any pieces that you have written on these murders as I noticed that Frank has not published anything in the magazine.”

Eve widened her eyes at Carolyn, feeling Bill squeeze her arm prompting her to say something. “I, uh- wow, Carolyn I am flattered,” Eve nervously started, she regained some composure. “Frank said that our reader base weren’t cut out to read my pieces on the murders, my husband also says that I’m an investigative journalist not an MI6 agent.” Carolyn chuckled. Eve continued, “I can provide you with a USB with all the pieces that I have written on the murders?”

“Thank you, Mrs. Polastri,” Carolyn smiled. “I am especially looking forward to your work, and I am eager to show you what I have planned for this magazine.”

Eve could feel the excitement rising in her, she couldn’t wait to go home and tell Niko. Not that he would be excited that she would be continuing her research on the murders. Eve originally had all of her evidence pinned up on a wall in her home office, but Niko had her take it down and move it as he found it too disturbing. He felt that she should ‘stay in her lane’ and focus on crimes that didn’t involve homicide. But where is the fun in that?

“Well,” Carolyn stood up, causing Elena, Bill and Eve to rise with her. They all took turns shaking hands with Carolyn. “I am looking forward to working with you all.”

They all turned to leave. “Oh, and Eve.” Eve turned around to look at her new boss. “I would like to set you up in your own office, I want to see how deep you can look into these murders.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have yet to come up with a posting schedule because this is helping me kill time during quarantine, I'm not sure how regularly I will post but I do have multiple chapters lined up


	2. Murder on the Dance Floor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little NSFW ;)

It had been a month since Carolyn Martens had taken over the magazine, and Eve watched as Bill and Elena and the rest of the writing team were set to work on multiple captivating pieces, while she was tasked with setting up her office. Carolyn wanted Eve to maintain all of her focus on researching and finding evidence relating to the string of murders, she claimed that they could not publish anything if the facts were not set in stone. Carolyn has never published anything that was not one hundred percent true. The last thing Eve needed was to be called out for her lack of evidence on the crimes, not wanting to tarnish Carolyn’s stellar reputation.

Eve sat in her office looking at the collection of evidence on her wall that had tripled in size since she moved from the cubicle into her own space. As much as she loved having her own office to kick her feet up in, she missed Elena’s constant narration of her day. She missed how Bill would stop by and talk to her about what mischief his daughter had got into that morning. At least Eve got her own mini fridge, she didn’t have to worry about anyone taking the slices of cake that she bought for herself before work every morning.

It was coming to the end of the day, and Eve was typing a quick text to Niko, when she heard someone clear their throat. She turned to the entrance of her office and saw Carolyn standing there with her coat on and her brief case hanging at her side, she regarded Eve with a slight smile, “Good afternoon Eve, I hope you have had a productive day.”

Eve dropped her phone out of her hands, letting it clatter onto her desk, she winced at the noise. “Oh yes of course! I found that the Spanish millionaire Alfred Martinez died when he was impaled by a skiing pole when he was on holiday with his mistress, it was labelled as a freak accident. What is making me suspicious about this case though, is that a month later his mistress was at a restaurant in Rome when she died of asphyxiation due to a shellfish allergy. The thing is, the dish that she was served was checked by the chef himself, and he claims that there was no shellfish in it when it left the kitchen.”

“So, you think that the shellfish was planted there between the time it took for the dish to get from the kitchen to the table?" Carolyn asked. 

"Yes. And to top that off, the wait staff said there was an unidentified female there that day who served the dish to Martinez's mistress."

"So, you think that could be our killer?" 

Eve nodded, anxiously biting her thumb nail. "Yeah, I do. She would have to easily blend into a crowd, be able to completely change her persona at will. At least be fluent in three languages and be able to do extensive surveillance and research on her victims." 

Carolyn raised her eyebrows, “Well Eve, I think you’ve done some excellent work. Leave a USB of the statements, profiles, and documents that you found on my desk and I will read over them this weekend.”

“Will do,” Eve smiled, wanting to give herself a congratulatory pat on the back. “I’m just surprised there hasn’t been any more murders in recent months. Our assassin must be on vacation or already been captured or killed.”

“Actually Eve, a Chinese businessman died under suspicious circumstances in Berlin last night he wanted to treat himself for his birthday at a BDSM clinic but was poisoned with carbon monoxide during the procedure, the Chinese however listed it as heart failure do to his… _activities_.”

Eve’s eyebrows shot up, looking at Carolyn with a startled expression. “Wow, that’s… interesting.” Eve said, watching a smirk tighten across Carolyn’s features.

“Yes, very interesting indeed,” Carolyn replied. There was a lapse in conversation. Eve sat in her chair awkwardly, unsure as to why Carolyn was still standing there. It was nearing the end of the day and Eve just wanted to go home and do her Thursday night ritual of having a bath and a deep glass of wine.

Carolyn finally broke the silence, “Eve, I assume you’ve heard that I have assigned Bill to follow up on a potential story in Berlin?” Eve nodded, when Bill told her that he was getting a free weekend away to Germany Eve’s jaw basically hit the floor. Her and Elena would be stuck at home all while he interviewed one source and would then get to hit the German booze. Carolyn continued, “Well, I have booked you a ticket and accommodation for the weekend as I want you to follow up any leads that may give you any insight into this Chinese businessman’s death.”

Eve’s jaw dropped open, she looked at Carolyn shocked. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, Carolyn… of course I’ll go.”

“That wasn’t an invitation Eve it was an order,” Carolyn stated, making Eve’s eyes widen. “You will meet Bill at the airport for four o’clock tomorrow afternoon, and we will expect you back on Sunday night. I have left your ticket with the packet that Bill is collecting this afternoon, this packet also includes your rental car and accommodation details.”

Eve nodded, Carolyn then said her goodbyes and left. Eve fist pumped the air, giving a brief squeal of excitement. She grabbed her coat and bag, shrugging them on as she quickly sent a text to her group chat with Bill and Elena.

* * *

Niko did not take the news of Eve’s impromptu trip too well. “I thought this job entailed you researching murders not chasing a murderer across Europe.” He leaned up against the kitchen counter, his moustache bent up in an unimpressed manner.

Eve sipped on her wine glass, furrowing her brow. “It’s not like that, Niko, I’ll just be interviewing some people who interacted with the victim to gather as much information as possible. My job is to collect intel, I'm not chasing down any assassins.”

“Oh, so you think its an assassin now?” Niko said in a huff, looking at Eve incredulously. “Eve, people like that don’t like when people like you go sniffing around their business. You could potentially become their next target.”

Eve laughed at that, waving Niko’s concerns off. “Niko, darling, I’m just a journalist not an MI6 agent, isn’t that what you always say? I won’t be close to any form of danger, the only thing dangerous would probably be seeing Bill fifteen drinks deep in a night club.”

Niko stared her down, turning away from her and resuming dinner. She felt a pang in her chest, knowing that he would probably be ignoring her for the rest of the night. Eve couldn’t deal with how caring Niko was, he always wanted to make sure he knew where she was, who she was with, and why she wasn’t with him. He dragged her to countless bridge nights because he didn’t want her to go out with Bill and Elena, always using the excuse that she rarely was there for him and his hobbies. Eve can’t remember the last time he took an interest in her hobbies, not that she had many besides day drinking and researching murderers.

Eve left Niko to his own devices, heading upstairs to run a bath and pack for her weekend away.

* * *

As Friday night rolled around Bill and Eve had already landed in Germany and had checked into their hotel. Eve had set up a miniature version of the evidence wall in her hotel room, focusing on the suspicious death of the Chinese businessman, she was proud to have found out that he was referred to as _“Fat Panda”_ by his associates. Eve – with Carolyn’s help – had located some valuable sources for intel and was able to set up meetings with them. Both Eve and Bill managed to slot all their interviews for Saturday morning and afternoon, leaving them to be able to explore Berlin all of Saturday night and spend Sunday recovering. Bill had promised to bring Eve to all Berlin’s ‘hot spots’.

Eve decided to quickly facetime Niko, hoping to talk to him at least once over the course of the weekend. He wasn’t too impressed when he found a message from Elena on Eve’s phone stating that she would send Eve Daan’s number so he could get her and Bill free drinks at the night club he worked in. Niko had a dig at her saying that it looked like the weekend was a way of her escaping him, and that he felt that Eve wasn’t being honest with him. He thought that she was trying to cover up a weekend of partying as a work trip. Eve couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Niko, which made him even more angry. He didn’t talk to her for the rest of the day and Eve had to get Bill to pick her up on the way to the airport.

On the third ring, Niko answered, he did not look impressed at all. “Hi,” Eve smiled, she hoped that he would at least be a bit nicer to her. “How are you?”

“Well, Eve you’ve only been gone for a couple hours, so I think I’m the same as I was this afternoon,” Niko replied. Eve sighed and rubbed her temples, feeling like her and Niko were going around in circles.

“I was just asking,” Eve said, she tried to muster up another smile, “The hotel that Carolyn booked us is _very_ nice, I’ve even been provided with a desk so I can spread out my research and I’ve even been given unlimited wi-fi so I can stay on top of my work.”

“That’s great,” Niko said, a tight smile forming under his moustache, it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

“Yeah I am. I hope you have a good weekend marking, if I had to mark fifty assignments, I would lose my mind.” Eve chuckled, watching Niko as he lightened up a bit, he managed to smile fully at her now.

“Well, not everyone is cut out to learn the ins and outs of Pythagorean theory,” Niko laughed. Eve felt warmth flood her chest, it was the first time in a while that Niko shared a joke with Eve.

“I’m not, but I do find it _very_ sexy.” Eve winked, making Niko laugh again. She could almost feel herself buzzing. The feeling stopped when Niko’s eyes narrowed down, he seemed to be focusing on something behind her.

“What is that?” He almost spat. Eve turned around to the navy dress that was hanging up behind her. Bill’s wife Keiko had lent it to her for the weekend, so she would look ‘striking’ during her interviews with the sources she had lined up.

“It’s just a dress for me to wear to the interviews I have tomorrow,” Eve waved her hand trying to diffuse Niko’s sudden shift in attitude. “It’s nothing Niko, I’ll wear my coat with it, nothing will be hanging out, I promise.” Niko grunted, looking unimpressed with Eve’s answer.

As he was going to say something more when a knock sounded at Eve’s hotel room door. “Oh that must be Bill,” Eve said, standing from her place on the bed.

Niko furrowed his brow and started, “Eve, I –“

“I’m sorry, Niko. I have to go.” Eve ended the call, throwing her phone as Bill opened the door to her room. He entered with two bottles of champagne and wiggled his eyebrows. Eve laughed at her friend’s antics, taking one of the bottles as he passed it to her.

“So, my love,” Bill said as he started to open the first champagne bottle, “have I ever told you about the many lovers that I have taken in Berlin?”

* * *

Eve’s interviews had gone surprisingly well, regardless of her hangover. She had gathered as much information she possibly could from her sources, and she had Keiko’s dress to thank for that. The Chinese delegates, though tough to crack, were more than willing to divulge any information Eve wanted when she removed her coat and leaned over the table ever so slightly. After all these years it made Eve happy to know that she still had _some_ form of sex appeal.

Eve laid on the bed in her hotel room, resting after she finally collated all her information and loaded it onto a USB for Carolyn. She was under strict orders to not send anything over email, and everything was to be backed up on multiple hard drives. Eve had made sure to back up her work onto 5. Better safe than sorry.

Bill had revealed a lot to Eve the night before, telling her about the many men and women that he had taken over the years. She was surprised to hear it, as Bill seemed to be a straight edge male. He was not. Bill also told Eve about how him and Keiko were a good team, a good match, and were excited to raise a baby together, he even divulged some information about their sex life. Eve was happy to hear her friend open up about his life and experiences to her but was startled when he asked if she ever had sex with a woman.

Her answer was no, she never felt sexual attraction to another woman. But she did tell him about how she now thinks that she had a crush on her college roommate, a girl who she found unbelievably beautiful, funny, and smart. Eve told Bill about how she got excited every time her roommate would walk in and felt over the moon when she told Eve that she was gay. But then Eve met Niko, and all those feelings fell away. Bill just tutted, saying something along the lines of, “sometimes emotional attraction can tell you a lot more than sexual attraction. Not that I listened to my emotional connections much.” After that, the night was a blur. Eve just remembers waking up to her head pounding and a glass of water and paracetamol on her beside table.

Eve heard Bill knock at her door, sauntering in with a knowing look on his face. Eve could feel the smile tugging at her lips when Bill outstretched his arm and offered Eve his hand. “Are you ready to get plastered, my love?”

* * *

Eve watched as Bill shouted over the bar to the bartender, the music in the club was blaring and Eve could feel the beat rattling her bones. Her and Bill had already hit multiple pubs on their way here, and Eve had already consumed more alcohol than she usually would on a night out. The bartender shook Bill’s hand and Eve realised that he must be talking to Elena’s boy toy, Daan. Bill grabbed the two free gin and tonics and handed one to Eve, thanking Daan over the music.

Bill leaned in to Eve, raising his voice over the music, “Daan said we shouldn’t worry about spending anymore of our money and that he’ll look after us for the rest of the night!”

Eve smiled at Bill, raising her glass to cheers with him and taking a large swig of her drink. _Elena should marry that guy,_ Eve thought to herself. They moved from the bar area onto the dance floor, Eve thought that Bill in his ugly brown hat stuck out from the youthful faces in the crowd of the dance floor. Bill had claimed that he felt that it was a _statement piece_ earlier in the night. Eve couldn’t blame him for wanting to wear it, she was the one who bought it for him.

They danced together, quite poorly. Eve felt a little anxiety at being visibly older than the rest of the people on the dance floor, as she was surrounded by youthful faces. But Bill being Bill made Eve’s anxieties fall away when he started to make jokes about Eve’s horrible dance moves. He started clutching his chest acting like he had been stabbed in the heart due to Eve’s attempt at copying the 'young folks' dance moves. Eve yelled over the music, “Will I need to get Daan to perform CPR on you?” Bill nodded dramatically, laughing as Eve slapped him playfully on the arm.

He leant into her, “Your moves could really be considered to be _murder on the dance floor_.” Eve laughed, finishing the rest of her drink. Bill took her empty glass and with a wink he promised that he would be back with two more for her.

Eve swayed to the beat on her own, relaxing into the intoxicating dance music. She ran her hands through her hair feeling the weight of the day lift off her shoulders. She needed this, she needed to loosen up and forget about her anxieties about trying to impress Carolyn. About following up leads and making sure that she can find every detail she can about the murders. About Niko.

She danced for a while, forgetting about Bill and the drinks he promised her. Eve closed her eyes seeing the coloured lights flashing through her eyelids. She felt a hand rest on her waist, and a sultry voice in her ear, “You have the most amazing hair.” Eve turned at the voice, her eyes connecting with a hazel pair that were staring at her intently. Eve felt a shiver down her spine as she saw their lips twitch up into a smirk.

Eve turned back around and started to sway again, feeling another hand slide onto her torso. She leant backwards, feeling her back press up against their front. Their hands tightened on her waist. Eve felt as the strong hands led her, feeling them secure more tightly around her. She ran her hands over theirs, feeling the long smooth fingers dig into her skin. Eve tilted her head to the side, and felt their soft lips connect with the skin on her neck, she gasped in pleasure. Feeling warmth radiating from the contact.

Eve finally turned around, letting her drunk mind fog over and allowing her body to take control. She once again made eye contact with her partner. The woman smiled again, biting her bottom lips and looking down at Eve through hooded eyes. She must have been in her late twenties, with honey blonde hair that fell down her shoulders. She wore a suit, with a shimmering silver top and with a black blazer and pants. She was the most beautiful woman Eve had ever seen.

The woman leaned down, her lips brushing against Eve’s ear. “Like what you see?”

Eve bit her lip and nodded. The blonde pulled back and smiled, slinking her arms back around Eve’s waist and pulling her so their bodies were flush against each other’s. Eve wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck, watching as her eyes darkened. Eve turned again, pushing her ass against the blonde, feeling her hips grind against the contact. Her hands tightened on Eve’s waist, making Eve do it again. He felt the blonde’s lips back on her ear, this time she heard the low and husky tones of an accent, “If you keep doing that much longer I’ll have to take you home with me.”

Eve smiled reaching up and threading her hands through the blonde’s hair, she tugged lightly and felt the vibration of the blonde's moan against her ear. Eve could feel a throbbing start at her core, making her squeeze her thighs together. The blonde whipped her around, her fingers digging into Eve’s waist. She dipped her head and kissed Eve hard. Eve felt as her soft warm lips slid against her own. Her tongue ran across Eve’s bottom lip, and prodded its way into her mouth, making her moan. This spurred the other woman on, she researched up and ran her hands through Eve’s hair, slightly tugging at the roots, making Eve arch her back. The blonde pulled back and watched Eve, letting her hand fall from Eve’s hair to her hand. Her fingers were soft against Eve’s, she squeezed her fingers lightly, pulling her closer with the other arm wrapped around Eve’s waist.

Eve felt like all the alcohol had drained from her system. She was completely sober but felt like she had no control over how her body reacted. She was completely enamoured by the other woman. The blonde tucked a strand of Eve’s hair behind her ear, biting her lip again. Eve’s eyes stared at them, imagining them licking and biting their way across her body. She felt another rush to her core, she swallowed hard. The blonde smirked, lightly grabbing Eve’s chin stilling her movements. The blonde leant down again and pressed another long and lingering kiss on Eve’s lips.

“Eve!”

Eve broke apart from the blonde, looking to Bill who was smiling at her smugly. He was holding three drinks in his hands, looking like he was struggling to maintain a tight hold on them.

Eve looked back to the blonde, who was now pouting at Eve. She was unbelievably sexy and cute at the same time. Eve became flustered and smiled at her as she turned back to Bill, wanting to smack the grin off his face. She started towards him snatching her drinks from his hands, taking a large swig of one as she turned back to the blonde but found that she had disappeared. Eve felt her chest tighten.

Bill leant over her shoulder and she could hear the satisfaction in his tone when he said, “Looks like you were having a bit _too_ much fun.”


	3. On second thought, I’ll get a Gin and Tonic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! Hope you enjoy x

Eve woke on Sunday morning filled with guilt and remorse, her mind flooding with images from the night before. _The lights, the music, her fingers, her lips, her tongue._ Eve shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts. Bill had gotten Eve to down four more drinks before they had left the club, Eve hoped that it would be enough to help her forget the blonde stranger. But Bill wasn’t one to let her forget.

Eve sat at a table at the hotel’s breakfast buffet, nursing a coffee and one of the varieties of German pastries that were available. Bill sat adjacent to her, doing an awful job at pretending to read the paper, he kept glancing over at her and would quickly avert his gaze when she looked back at him. She could tell he wanted to talk about what happened last night, but she forbade him last night to even mention it. 

Bill was humming and bouncing his knee as he sipped on his coffee, knowing Eve hated when he got fidgety. But she knew he couldn’t help it; he was basically brimming with excitement. She sighed, rubbing her eyes, trying to pull herself out of her hangover fog.

“Go on,” Eve said, watching as Bill’s eyes snapped to her, sparkling with anticipation.

He gave her a coy smile, shrugging as he folded his paper. “I don’t know what on earth you are talking about.”

“Oh, shut up you dickswap,” Eve threw the remnants of her pastry at him, Bill laughed dropping the clueless act. “Hurry up or you won’t get another chance.”

“So,” Bill practically giggled, he leant in closer and raised his eyebrows, “How was your first girl on girl snog?”

Eve gagged at his words, feeling shame and embarrassment wash over her, flushing her neck and cheeks a deep red colour. She hid her face in her hands, and felt Bill give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Its okay, my love, I can see how this would be very overwhelming at the moment,” he soothed.

“Ugh, Bill,” Eve said into her hands, looking up she met his gaze, sagging her shoulders and reaching up to touch his hand resting on her shoulder, “I just feel like I really fucked up, you know?”

“Oh, I know,” Bill said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. He chuckled, shaking his head slowly, “I’ve been in your position more than once. I remember the feeling of shame all too well and throwing a hangover into the mix doesn’t do anybody any favours.”

Eve smiled, sipping on her coffee, thankful to have Bill’s weirdly comforting guidance. “I, however,” Bill continued, “never got to hook up with a woman as sexy as that… don’t tell Keiko I said that.”

Eve laughed, feeling her blush come back in full force. She ducked her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Eve was suddenly brought back to the feeling of euphoria she felt at the touch of the other woman, the electricity she felt between them as she stared into her hazel eyes. _The lights, the music, her fingers, her lips, her tongue._ Eve snapped herself out of her daze when she realised that Bill was looking at her with an odd expression.

“Yeah,” Eve said, biting into her pastry, “she was fuckin’ hot.”

Bill laughed, wagging his pointer finger at her in a knowing manner, “I knew my Eve would be a woman of taste.” This made Eve giggle, feeling some of the embarrassment of last night lift off her shoulders.

“I do wonder where that taste was when you decided to marry Niko,” Bill sighed, shaking open the paper nonchalantly and licking finger to turn over the page.

Eve was hit with a wave of shame once again, letting her head fall into her hands. She lout out a low sigh, biting back tears as she realised that she had to tell Niko.

* * *

Eve had been sitting on her front doorstep for 20 minutes, biting at her thumb nail anxiously, as she thought of ways of breaking the news to Niko. _Hey honey, I made out and grinded on a stranger in a club in Germany, just thought you should know!_ Eve slapped her forehead, scolding herself for not taking this seriously enough.

She had taken the early flight home so she could be home in London by 10am, leaving Bill to spend the rest of his Sunday visiting old friends in Berlin. He told her that he would call to check up on her as soon as he landed back in London that afternoon . Eve was yet to tell Niko that she was home early, too anxious to give any hint that anything was wrong. She was going to act as if it was a surprise, and then she was going to ease him into it slowly.

Eve got up from the steps, wiping herself off and dragging her suitcase up the steps. She opened the front door and heard the radio playing one of Niko’s favourite bands. Eve never liked his taste in music, but always pretended to enjoy it when he put it on.

Eve walked into their living area and stopped. Niko’s co-worker Gemma was standing in the kitchen making herself a cup of tea. Eve was shocked to see her there, unsure to why Gemma would be in her home on a Sunday morning. Eve reached over to the radio and turned it down, causing Gemma to turn around. She let out a small squeak at the sight of Eve.

“Eve… hi!” Gemma exclaimed a little too loudly. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi, Gemma.” Eve said slowly, cocking her eyebrow at the other woman. “I just got back from my work trip. What are _you_ doing here?”

Gemma laughed nervously, setting her cup of tea down on the bench. “Niko, said that you wouldn’t be home until tonight?”

“I decided to come home early so I could spend time with _my_ husband.”

“Oh, that’s _nice_.” Gemma smiled tightly. Eve raised her eyebrows at her, she still hadn’t answered Eve’s question. Gemma sputtered, “Well… Niko and I are doing some marking together. Were tag teaming on going through the results for the grade 9 math quiz.”

“What was the quiz on?” Eve said, smiling at Gemma sweetly. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“Oh, Just probability and statistics.”

“Uh-huh…and where _is_ Niko.”

“He’s upstairs - I think,” Gemma said, wringing her hands together. “I got here a bit early, he hadn’t even had his morning shower yet.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen him yet?”

“Oh no, he left the front door unlocked for me and called out for me to make myself a cup of tea while he had a shower, and now here you are!”

“Have you been here long?”

“No, only 15 minutes or so.”

Eve smiled tightly at Gemma, excusing herself. She lugged her suitcase upstairs, pushing it into the corner of their bedroom. She could hear Niko in the shower, singing in Polish. Eve sat on her side of the bed, finding it odd that Niko was yet to make it. He usually made the bed as soon as they both got up. Eve had a sinking feeling in her stomach, she leant down to her pillow and sniffed it, smelling a strong scent of strawberries and vanilla. Eve never used fragranced shampoo; it made her hair wilder than it already was.

Eve changed out of her clothes, feeling dirty from the hangover. She chucked her clothes in a pile in the corner of the room, promising herself that she would get to it later.

The shower switched off and Eve heard the ensuite door open. “Eve.” Niko said breathlessly, “I didn’t think you’d be home until tonight.”

“Well, I thought it would be nice for me to come home and surprise my husband.” Eve said curtly, facing her husband. Any inkling Eve had about telling Niko about what happened the night before was gone out the window. She started at him with her arms crossed as he shifted nervously with just a towel wrapped around his waist. “So, why is Gemma here?”

Niko coughed, making his way to their wardrobe, putting some underwear on “Oh, she just came for a visit.”

“How long ago did she get here?”

“Ah… about an hour ago?” Niko replied, shimmying into some pants, and throwing on a t-shirt. “I just had to take a quick shower because I forgot to have one last night, I was at the Bridge Club until late.”

Eve smiled, crossing the room, and placing her hands-on Niko’s shoulders. “That must’ve been a pretty wild night for you to forget to shower.”

Niko chuckled, reaching up and placing a hand over Eve’s. “Yeah it was.”

“So Gemma told me you two were doing some marking, what are you guys looking at?”

“Oh, just the Pythagoras assignments that I told you about earlier,” Niko said, picking up and pulling on one of the jumpers that Eve hated. “I had to enlist some help because you know how grade ten kids are, sometimes I just want to keep hitting my head on the desk.”

Eve bit back a retort about how Gemma said they were marking grade nine quizzes on probability. She turned away, and told Niko that she was going to make herself a cup of tea.

Gemma was sitting at the dining table when Eve made her way into the kitchen, she filled the kettle and flicked the switch, waiting for it to boil. Niko appeared in the dining room, sharing a small glace with Gemma. He sat down at the table, entwining his fingers in front of him. It was silent apart from the noise of the kettle and the radio that was still softly playing Niko’s music.

The switch of the kettle clicked, and Eve turned around to make some tea. She felt like she could cut the tension in the room with a knife. She placed a tea bag in a mug and filled it with water, adding two sugars and a splash of milk. She made her way over to the table and placed it in front of Niko, he smiled up at her, thanking her as he lifted the mug to his mouth and gingerly took a sip. Eve watched Gemma as she watched Niko, her wide eyes following his every move.

“So,” Niko broke the silence, Eve could see the relief flood Gemma’s features as she leant back in her chair and sipped on her tea. “How was your trip, Eve?”

“It was good,” Eve hummed, walking around Niko, gliding her fingers across his shoulders. “I managed to squeeze as much information out of my sources as humanly possible.”

“That’s great.” Gemma said, looking up at Eve. “Niko told me that you were in Germany for research on a piece you’ve been writing.”

“Yes, I was. I was following up on some leads there.”

“May I ask what the piece is on?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell anyone at this time,” Eve replied, putting her right hand to her heart, and holding her left arm up. “Scouts honour.”

Gemma let out an annoying high-pitched laugh, making Eve’s hangover ring in her ears. Niko chuckled uncomfortably, sipping on his tea and letting his eyes stay down cast.

“Well,” Eve said, “Since you two are terribly busy, I’m going to go see Elena.”

She snatched her handbag up from the dining table and grabbed her coat that was hanging on the kitchen chair. Just as she reached the front door she quickly turned around and asked, “What were the assignments on again?”

“Pythagoras.”

“Probability.”

Eve smiled tightly at them, slamming the front door so hard that she could feel the windows shake behind her.

* * *

“Wait, wait, wait.” Elena waved her hands dramatically in front of her face, still processing what Eve had told her. “So Bill bought you out and got you plastered, _so_ plastered that you hooked up with a chick in the club that Daan works in, and you woke up this morning so ridden with guilt that you flew home early to tell your husband what you had done, but he had some bitch over, and they couldn’t even get their story straight to why she was in your house without your knowledge on a Sunday morning?”

Eve nodded, acknowledging how ridiculous this whole situation must sound. Elena sat there in shock, here jaw hanging open as she stared Eve down. “Wow – I mean… wow.” She leant back against the couch, pulling her feet up and wrapping her arms around them. “You really had a wild weekend. I’ll give you that.”

Eve found it hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. She ran a hand through her hair, sighing at herself. She did want Niko to be less boring, she wanted him to try out new things, but she did not want him to be trying these new things with one of his co-workers.

“Look,” Eve said, lifting her wine glass to her lips. Elena had immediately poured her one when Eve walked through the door, claiming she could smell the ‘Goss’ radiating off Eve. “They might be telling the truth; they are probably just doing some marking together and I just happened to walk in at the most awkward time.”

“No, no, no honey.” Elena tutted, shaking her finger at Eve. “You almost caught them in the act, what if you walked in on them thirty minutes earlier, huh? It would have been a _very_ different story.”

“We don’t know that.”

“Uh, yes we do.” Elena scolded Eve like she was a child, “honey, neither of their stories match up. She said she had only gotten there fifteen minutes before hand. He said an hour. She said they were marking probability, he said Pythagoras. They both acted strangely towards you because you _caught_ them, can’t you see that Eve?”

Eve sipped on her wine, staring at the floor, silently acknowledging that Elena was probably right. They sat there for a while longer, Elena tried to distract Eve by telling her how she ran into her old boss from Tesco the day before. Eve just nodded a long to the story, letting her mind wander back to the night before. She kept getting flashes of blonde and hazel, fingers knotted in her hair and lips pressed against her neck. Lips pressed against her own, the warmth and the softness from the kiss. The feeling of her tongue sliding against her own. Eve couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Eve’s thoughts were broken by Elena’s front door opening, she watched as Bill entered the small apartment. He carried a bottle of whiskey, giving Eve a reassuring smile. “Well look who decided to show up,” Elena said in a teasing manner, getting up and retrieving the whiskey bottle from Bill.

He hung his coat and made his way over to Eve, hugging her from behind. “And how are you feeling now, my love?”

Eve sighed and leaned her head back against Bill’s. “Yeah, not good. My hangover is gone at least.”

Bill let her go and nodded towards her wine glass, “the only way to cure a hangover is to keep drinking.”

“Yes bitch!” Elena called from the kitchen, holding up the glass of whiskey she had poured for herself. Eve and Billed chuckled, he sat next to Eve on the couch and pulled her legs onto his lap. Elena came over to join them, handing Bill his own glass.

Eve let Elena tell Bill about her morning, being to tired to reiterate the whole ordeal. Plus, Elena always added a dramatic flare to her story telling. Bill sat there wide eyed, obviously shocked at the words that were coming out of Elena’s mouth. All he said when she finished was, “God, I didn’t know that that bastard had it in him.”

Eve chuckled, throwing her head back against the arm of the couch, she rested her wine glass on her stomach and stared up at the ceiling. Bill patted her legs, and asked her once again, “How are you feeling? Be honest with me.”

“Honestly…” Eve trailed off, trying to find the right words to describe how she was feeling. “I don’t feel a thing, not jealousy, not anger, not even sadness. I feel… _nothing_.”

Bill and Elena nodded.“I actually can’t stop thinking about _her_ ,” Eve continued, surprising herself with how honest she was being, Bill and Elena were surprised too. “I can’t get her out of my mind. I felt so _alive_ with her, I felt sober but dizzy at the same time. Every time she touched me… I could just feel electricity. I've never felt that way with Niko. _Never_.”

They stayed silent for a minute, letting Eve’s words soak in. “I’ll have what she’s having,” Elena quipped, “with a dude of course.”

“I thought you liked Daan?” Bill asked turned to Elena.

And with that they dropped it. Eve was appreciative of her friend understanding of when to leave her be in her thoughts and feelings. As they moved the conversation on, Eve couldn’t help but feel the beat of the club in her bones and remember the feeling of hands tugging on her hair.

* * *

Over the next few days Eve made sure to go in early and stay late at work trying to avoid any form of confrontation with Niko, he seemed to have the same idea. Eve had managed to go through the information she gathered in Berlin three times, each time finding more correlations that she could pin up on the evidence wall. Eve wanted to be prepared for when Carolyn would want to meet with her regarding the information, she had landed two USBs on her desk on Monday morning, one for Carolyn to read through and one to make sure all the information was backed up. Carolyn, however, had yet to make any indication that she had read through Eve’s findings, she would just smile at Eve in passing and only asked her and Bill a few short questions on how the trip was. Eve had to choke back a cough when Bill made a comment on how me missed the club life in Berlin. Carolyn gave them a tight smile, and said she was glad that they got to have some _fun._

Eve sat on the floor of her office, sorting crime scene photos into different piles, based on the way the victims were murdered. Carolyn had to ask Eve to specifically to not tell anyone about these photos, as she had to pull some extremely delicate strings to get them. Eve made a zipping motion over her mouth when Carolyn told her, earning herself a half smile.

“Excuse me, Eve?” Eve turned to find Kenny standing at the door, “I just wanted to introduce you to Jess and Hugo. Jess, Hugo this is Eve Polastri, she is spearheading the investigation on the recent murders across Europe.” He gestured to the pair standing behind him, Eve saw a heavily pregnant woman and a smug looking boy-man. “Eve, they’re going to be helping you with the investigation.”

Eve’s eyebrows quirked at that, “Really? Carolyn never mentioned that I would be working with anyone else.”

“Yeah,” Kenny sighed, “Jess is well versed in Arabic and has connections within MI6 that will aid you in your research. And Hugo…” Kenny hid the grimace on his features. Eve could tell that if Kenny didn’t like this kid, then Eve would hate him. “Hugo has a background in counter terrorism, and Carolyn thought he could provide you with useful intel.”

Eve smiled as Kenny nodded, moving to the side so Jess and Hugo could enter the room. They exchanged hellos, and Eve gestured them to sit down.

“So, as you can see I’ve been compiling evidence for some time now,” Eve started, “I’ve been following this murders for a while and I think there has to be some form of pattern or sequence to them.”

“Wow,” Jess said, gaping at the expanse of the wall. Her eyes tracing the red string that splayed out like a spider web. “You are more organised than most people at MI6… If you want, I could probably hook you up with a job.”

Eve chuckled, feeling a light blush start on her cheeks. If Jess was going to keep flattering her like this, they were going to get along fine. Hugo on the other hand, looked unimpressed. But then again, his face just made him look like he was permanently unimpressed.

“I didn’t know investigative journalism required so much… arts and crafts,” He said smugly, pressing the tips of his fingers together as he swung in his chair. “When I was at Oxford –“

“Yeah, yeah we get it,” Jess waved him away, pulling herself up from the chair. “You got where you are on your daddy’s money.”

Eve chuckled, watching as Hugo’s features turned from unimpressed to annoyed. He pouted like a schoolboy. Jess approached Eve, she outstretched her hand and Eve shook it firmly. “I think were going to make a good team.”

* * *

Eve was approached by Carolyn not long before her lunch break. She told Eve that she had gone through the information from Berlin and wanted to discuss it with her over lunch. Eve was now sitting in an empty restaurant, twiddling her thumbs as she waited for Carolyn to arrive.

Just as she was pulling out her phone to message Bill and Elena, the chair across from her was pulled out. Eve shot up from her seat and regarded Carolyn with an eager smile. “Thank you for seeing me, Carolyn.”

“Nonsense Eve,” Carolyn said, gesturing for them to sit down. They took their seats. “I am thoroughly impressed with the information you gathered in Berlin. I will have to ask you for your secret on how you managed to squeeze so much information out of them.”

Eve chuckled, watching as Carolyn picked up her napkin and laid it on her lap. Eve mirrored her actions. “I hope you don’t mind, Eve,” Carolyn started, picking up a menu and peering at her over it, “But I’ve invited an associate of mine to join us for lunch. He is very interested in your work and might prove useful in gaining some sources for you to follow up on.”

“Oh yes, that’s more than okay with me!” Eve was surprised. She didn’t realise how deep her investigation was going, feeling like she was doing more than just investigative journalism. _I might take Jess up on her offer to work at MI6,_ she thought to herself. Carolyn smiled at her, peering back down at her menu. Eve picked up her own and started looking down the list of food.

Carolyn looked up from her menu, her eyes going to a figure behind Eve. “Ah, Konstantin!” She said, dropping her menu and holding her hands out. A man appeared next to Eve, he took Carolyn’s hands and kissed them, sitting down between them. “Eve, this is Konstantin Vasiliev, Konstantin this is Eve Polastri.”

“Miss. Polastri,” the man said, holding out a hand for her to shake, she took it, feeling his large meaty hand wrap around her own. She could hear the Russian accent slide off his tongue, evident in how he rolled the ‘r’ in her name. “Carolyn has told me all about you and your research.”

Eve regarded him sceptically, not liking the intensity behind his eyes. The way he was staring at her was too extreme for her liking. “It’s nice to meet you Mr. Vasiliev.” Eve smiled eventually, lightening her tone, “I hope Carolyn hasn’t told you _everything_ , I do like to leave some things to the imagination.”

Konstantin let out a booming laugh that rattled their table, he looked over to Carolyn and pointed to Eve, “I like this one Carolyn, she has a fire about her that will keep you on your toes.”

Carolyn smiled at him, calling over the waiter. As she started to rattle off her order to him, Konstantin turned back to Eve, “I am very impressed with your work, Carolyn said you had an eye for detail.”

Eve smiled. “Well it’s easy when I have a degree of criminal psychology under my belt. I find instances like this fascinating.”

“Fascinating is a good word for it.” Konstantin replied. He picked up his menu and started to scan it. “I hope you don’t mind Carolyn, but my assistant is joining us today. She is just outside making a phone call.”

“I don’t mind at all, Konstantin.”

The waiter regarded Eve; she ordered a salad, pondering over if she should get a drink or not. It wasn’t even midday yet so she told the waiter that she will have water. As Eve finished her order, the chair to the other side of her was pulled out.

“Eve this is my assistant, Villanelle Astankova. Villanelle, this is Eve Polastri.”

Eve looked to the woman as she took her seat and her jaw dropped. Her eyes met hazel and flickered down to the knowing smile playing on the blonde’s lips.

_The lights, the music, her fingers, her lips, her tongue._ Memories of the past weekend flooded Eve’s mind, she blinked once, twice, trying to rid herself of the images. She could feel heat radiating at her core, her thighs rubbed together doing little to stifle the feeling.

Villanelle outstretched her hand, Eve shook it firmly, feeling Villanelle’s long smooth fingers grace across the back of her hand. She almost shivered at the contact. “It’s nice to meet you, Eve.”

“Likewise.” Eve’s face felt like it was on fire. She could tell that the flush on her face had hit her like a tidal wave. Eve now recognised the low and husky tones of the blonde’s voice to be from a Russian accent.

“I’m sorry Eve, but I feel that we have met before.” Villanelle said with a smirk, leaning forward and cocking her head innocently.

Eve swallowed. Regarding the blonde with hard eyes, “I’m sorry Villanelle, but I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Villanelle pouted, leaning back in her seat. Eve watched her as she tucked her hands into her pockets. She was dressed in black pants and a pin striped blazer, a tight white shirt was tucked into her pants, hugging her breasts. Eve found it hard to maintain eye contact with her, trying to keep her eyes from wandering downwards. Her hair was now swept back in a low bun, making her face look more striking and angled than it did in the club.

“Trust me, Eve, I would recognise hair like that anywhere.”

Eve took a sharp intake of breath and flagged down the waiter. “Actually, on second thought, I’ll get a gin and tonic.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I love me some Villaneve <3


	4. Shepherd's Pie

The lunch continued at an agonizingly slow pace. Eve ate her salad slowly but drank her gin and tonic as fast as it was socially appropriate. Konstantin turned to Eve and asked her a question about her research, making Eve splutter into her glass, being caught off guard at the shift in conversation.

“Oh…well,” Eve swallowed, trying not to cough. She put her drink down, placing her hands on the table. She turned to Konstantin, “From the nature of the murders, and how witnesses didn’t realise anything had happened until it was too late…I have concluded that the assassin is most likely a young female, who is fluent in multiple languages and is probably trained in some form of combat or special murder tactics. The one thing I can’t figure out is _why_ these murders are happening.”

Konstantin’s eyes widened at her, stroking his beard with a thoughtful look on his face. “And you are sure all of this work has been done by _one_ person, not a group?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Eve said confidently, straightening up in her chair. “If these murders were done by a group, there wouldn’t be as many consistencies connecting the victims. These murders have a certain _flare_ to them…they are done so methodically but _dramatically._ She does extensive research and knows how to play to her victim’s weaknesses… I think she’s fantastic at what she does and quite honestly I am impressed that she has stayed under the radar for this long.”

Konstantin smiled, nodding his head. Eve looked to Carolyn, who had a small smile playing on her lips. Eve could not tell if there was a sense of pride coming from her, Eve decided that Carolyn must be happy that she did not choose a complete idiot to lead this research team.

“So,” Konstantin said, turning to the young woman sitting across from him. “Villanelle, what do you think?”

Eve finally let her gaze fall to the blonde woman sitting adjacent to her. She was surprised to find Villanelle’s steady gaze already on her, she looked to have a spark of intrigue as she regarded Eve. Eve could feel her skin start to breakout in goose bumps, feeling her face heat up under Villanelle’s gaze.

“I think that Eve is onto something.” Villanelle said, a smile playing on her lips. “I would love to see any notes you have on these murders, just from how you described them they seem… _captivating_.”

“Well yes, Villanelle, I think Eve would be more than happy to show you the evidence she has compiled in her office.” Carolyn said as she popped a cherry tomato into her mouth. “Wouldn’t you Eve?”

Eve looked Carolyn, her eyes widening at the suggestion. “I think that’s a great idea!” Villanelle exclaimed as smiled at Eve, a hit of mischief glinting in her eyes. Eve snapped her gaze back to her, glaring at her in the most subtle way she could.

“Yes, of course,” Eve said, her voice hardening. She finished the rest of her gin and tonic in one swift motion and stood from her seat, “we can go up and have a look now.”

* * *

“You never told me you were a journalist,” Villanelle said nonchalantly, walking into Eve's office like she owned the place.

Eve closed her office door, turning around to face Villanelle. She watched her carefully, her eyes sweeping up and down the other woman’s figure. She could see Villanelle’s eyebrows twitch. Eve sighed, leaning against the door. “we weren’t really in a _talking_ environment.”

“You never told me you were a translator.”

Villanelle chuckled, tucking her hands into her pant pockets. Eve could not help but think the action to be annoying. And hot. So, so hot.

The blonde stepped closer to her. Eve could feel her heart thrumming in her chest. “As you said Eve,” Villanelle purred, _“we weren’t really in a talking environment.”_

Eve felt herself flush at Villanelle’s words, heat blooming from her core. Villanelle’s eyebrow twitched and her eyes gleamed, she looked like she was ready to pounce on Eve. Not that Eve would stop her or anything.

Villanelle broke her intense stare, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Eve’s ear. “I honestly am just as surprised about this situation as you are, Eve.”

“Really? You don’t seem very surprised.” Eve pulled herself from the door, moving around Villanelle and placing her bag on the desk behind her. Eve slumped in her chair, trying to ground herself before she loses her mind trying to wrap her head around the situation.

“I am.” Villanelle smiled, she turned to face Eve, moving over and placing her hands flat on the desk. Eve’s eyes flickered down to Villanelle’s chest, feeling her heart rate pick up at the sight of her sharp collarbones and the dip of her breasts. “I was a bit disappointed when your boyfriend showed up though.”

“Bill is not my boyfriend.”

Villanelle’s eyes flickered to the wedding band that Eve twisted on her finger. “Husband?”

“No… Bill is a friend, a co-worker.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Villanelle said, her eyes darkening as her voice dipped in tone, “I was wondering why he didn’t chase me away after he saw you grind your ass into me.”

Eve felt a shiver run down her spine at Villanelle’s words. She straightened up in her seat, her eyes narrowing at the blonde, “why exactly are you here?”

“Konstantin didn’t tell you?” Eve shook her head, watching as Villanelle stood up straight, her hands going back into her pockets.

“He said you were his assistant and translator.”

“Assistant? Please,” Villanelle laughed. The sound made Eve’s chest tighten. _Pull your act together,_ Eve thought to herself. “I am Konstantin’s partner. I go on… business trips for him, and I snuff out any fires that may affect his ability to work.”

“What does Konstantin do?”

“He works for a private company.”

Eve realised that was as much as she was going to get out of Villanelle regarding her partner. She narrowed her eyes at the blonde, “Why are you two so interested in this investigation?”

“The people that we work for are…unhappy that some of their clientele have been murdered,” Villanelle said smoothly. Eve nodded, an uneasy feeling settling on her shoulders. She watched Villanelle, who seemed too easy going, too cocky, too smug. Too beautiful.

“Right…” Eve trailed off, turning her attention to the wall, “You wanted to see my information on the murders, so here it is. Every murder that has happened in the last three years, the locations, the autopsies, police reports, crime scene photos. And anything else that connects the victims.”

“You said before that the murders were done by one assassin, I just want to know why you think these kills are from the same killer?”

“I don’t know…” Eve sighed, looking at the crime scene pictures that have been pinned to the wall. She held a hand up to her chin, “As I said to Konstantin, these murders have a certain _flare_. Each murder is more…exciting than the last. I feel like she likes the idea of being noticeable, she likes the idea of being seen. I feel like she wants _me_ to see her.”

Eve could see Villanelle’s lips curl up into a smirk out of the corner of her eye. The blonde watched her for a second. Eve wasn’t sure if Villanelle was more interested in the pictures or her. She mentally shook herself, knowing that a young, beautiful woman like Villanelle would never be interested in an almost-40-year-old woman like Eve.

“There is so much _death_ ,” Villanelle said, Eve watched as she moved around the desk towards the wall, she leant into view some of the pictures. Eve almost felt that there was a gleam of excitement in Villanelle’s eyes. Eve knew it was reflected in hers.

“Why were you in Berlin?” Eve asked.

“Same reason as you. I was following up on a lead.”

* * *

“ _No way_ ,” Elena said over the din of the pub, “no _sodding_ way! She’s the chick you hooked up with in Berlin?”

“Yup.” Eve nodded, opting for a glass of water over another gin and tonic. She did not want to be getting into the habit of getting day drunk. “Villanelle Astonkova, she works with one of Carolyn’s business associates.”

“Wow,” Bill said, holding his beer up to his mouth, “This investigation must be getting serious if Carolyn is bringing in _business associates_.”

“Yeah, his name is Konstantin Vasiliev,” Eve replied, “I don’t think I like him much, he’s too… intense.”

“And Villanelle isn’t?” Bill chuckled, licking away his beer moustache. Eve glared at him. Bill had walked into Eve’s office, his jaw practically hitting the floor when he saw Villanelle. The blonde regarded him with some familiarity, staring him down almost like she was angry that he had interrupted something. After she left, Bill stood there in shock, confused as to why Eve’s hook up was in her office.

“She’s…interested in my work,” Eve said, picking at her nails. This made Bill and Elena laugh.

“Yeah she’s _interested_ alright,” Elena retorted. Eve lightly hit Elena’s shoulder, feeling a smile creep onto her lips.

“It was a one-time thing,” Eve said, holding her hand up to stop Elena and Bill from interjecting. “I will probably never see her again. Anyway, I have Niko.”

Bill groaned, “Aw, c’mon Eve! Do you really think that Niko and Gemma weren’t canoodling?”

Eve gagged, feeling embarrassment rising in her throat. “Niko is my husband Bill, besides what I did over the weekend us just as bad.”

“I could forgive your drunken girl on girl snog,” Elena said, “But I could _never_ forgive Niko for fucking that slag and letting her sleep in your bed.”

Bill raised his glass to that, “Besides Eve, you had never met the girl before, it’s not like you work with her or anything. Niko sees this woman every day and waited for you to be out of the county before he went to town on her.”

Eve covered her ears, not wanting to hear any more. As much as she appreciated their attempts at consoling and reassuring her, Eve felt overwhelmed with the conversation. “Okay that’s enough.” She picked up her bag and slung it around her shoulder, Bill and Elena watched her with pitiful eyes. She waved them off, “I’m going to head home. Maybe talk to Niko. I dunno.”

* * *

Niko sat across from Eve at the dining table, they ate in silence. Eve couldn’t look at him, she just ate her shepherd’s pie in peace.

“Eve it wasn’t anything.” Niko finally broke, after three days of minimal talking and scooting around the elephant in the room. “Really Gemma and I were just marking.”

“You know what, Niko? I find that _really_ hard to believe,” Eve said back to him, surprising herself at how cool she was being.

“Eve, _please_ ,” Niko begged, she looked at him. His eyes were sunken in, his mouth downturned. His frown made more prominent by his moustache. “We can talk about this.”

Eve let go of her fork, letting it clatter onto her plate. “Niko–“

“Eve, I promise you _nothing_ happened.”

Eve set down her cutlery and ran her hands through her hair. Knowing that she had no right to be upset with Niko when what she did to him was just as bad. She sighed, finally looking at him for what felt like the first time in days.

“Niko, I-“ Eve swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut trying to force the words out of her mouth. “I didn’t come home early on Sunday to surprise you.”

“What?”

“I came home early because something happened in Berlin.”

It was Niko’s turn to be angry. He sat up straighter, his moustache turning upward in a disapproving frown. His voice dropped almost to a whisper, “Did you and Bill…”

“Bill? What? NO!” Eve waved off the idea, almost gagging at the image in her head. “No, nothing happened with Bill! He has a baby and a wife, Niko.”

“Then what happened?” Niko pressed, leaning forward, and scrutinizing her with his gaze.

Eve started to wring her hands together, knowing that she now had to come clean. “Bill and I made sure to have all of our work done by Saturday night so we could go out. We went out to a few – well more than a few – bars and I had _a lot_ to drink.”

“Yeah, and?”

“We went to the club that Elena’s boyfriend – I’m not sure if they’re officially dating or not – Anyway, we went to a club and I had another drink, and I was like drunk, like really, really _drunk_. Like oh my god she’s _drunk_ , drunk –”

“Eve just spit it out.” Niko cut her off, obviously growing agitate at Eve’s rambling.

Eve pulled herself together at Niko’s words. “I was dancing, and Bill went to get some drinks, and next thing I know I was kissing someone.”

“You kissed someone!” Niko looked at her bewildered. Eve could see the hurt behind his eyes. But there was something else. Relief? He ran a hand down his lanky face, sighing deeply. “Did you sleep with him, Eve?”

“No! No, I didn’t, Niko.” Eve said. “I stopped it before anything more happened, it was just a kiss.”

“Just a kiss?”

“Yeah just a really _drunk_ kiss.”

“He didn’t try to bring you home or anything?”

Eve remembered the vibration of Villanelle’s words against the shell of her ear. _If you keep doing that much longer, I will have to take you home with me._ The memory of her husky Russian accent sending a bolt of electricity through Eve’s body. She remembered how she wanted to go home with the blonde stranger. She wanted to feel her hands in her hair, on her thighs, inside of her.

Eve shook her head. Meeting Niko’s eyes, he let out a sigh of relief leaning back in his chair. Eve didn’t think to mention that gender of her hook up was female, it didn’t matter to the situation. The point is that she kissed someone, and she owned up to it.

“So, what now, Eve?” Niko said.

“I don’t know.” Eve sighed, leaning back in her chair. Knowing that there was another serious conversation to be had. She just didn’t want to have it. She wanted to shove all of this down and just continue her life like normal.

She could tell Niko wanted to have the conversation. He wanted to set things right, like always. She hated him for it. She just wanted him to shout at her. Call her names. Be angry. But he wasn’t. He had always been the forgiving type. That’s why she married him.

“I think we should see a couple’s therapist.” He said.

Eve felt herself freeze up at the idea, knowing that sharing her feelings was not something she was particularly good at.

“Niko, I do –“ Her words were cut off by the ringing of the doorbell. Eve shot up from her seat, thankful that she had an excuse to put off this conversation.

Eve opened the door and was surprised to find Villanelle casually leaning against the door frame with a hand tucked into her pant pocket. “Hello, Eve.”

“Villanelle.” Eve said surprised, “what are you doing here?”

Villanelle pushed past Eve into the hallway, sniffing the air. “What is that smell?”

“Shepherd’s pie.”

“Oh, I haven’t had any dinner yet.”

Eve followed Villanelle into the dining room. She felt surreal, almost like she was dreaming. Niko looked up at his plate a confused look forming on his features. “Who is this?”

Before Eve could get a word in, Villanelle started, “Oh Eve hasn’t told you about me?” Niko shook his head, “What a shame. I thought I would make more of a… _lasting impression_.” Eve almost choked at Villanelle’s words; she sent a scolding glare to the younger woman. Villanelle shrugged her shoulders innocently, sitting down at the dining table and helping herself to some shepherd’s pie.

“Niko…” Eve started, cautiously sitting back in her spot, watching Villanelle with a critical gaze. “This is Villanelle Astonkova, we met in Germany.”

“Germany?” Niko said. He looked at Villanelle apprehensively.

“Yes, Germany.” Villanelle said while shovelling potato into her mouth.

“Villanelle is also tracking the same murderer as I am, Carolyn had us meet up so we could follow up our leads together,” Eve said before Villanelle could even mention the club.

Villanelle raised an eyebrow at Eve, “Oh we did more than just _that_.”

“Oh really?” Niko looked to Eve. His eyes narrowed. She could see the gears turning in his head.

“Yeah,” Villanelle said sweetly, reaching across to Eve and squeezing her hand, “We became _really_ good friends.”

It took all of Eve’s willpower to not smack the smug ass smile off Villanelle’s face. She stared at the hand that rested on top of hers, wanting to snatch it away. But she didn’t. She couldn’t bring herself to.

“O-kay.” Niko said, confusion obvious in his tone. He stood up from his spot taking his plate with him into the kitchen. “I’ll leave you two to talk business, I’ll be upstairs…reading.” Niko left the room. Villanelle still had her hand on top of Eve’s.

“I’m not going to ask you again, Villanelle, what are you doing here?”

Villanelle pulled her hand off Eve’s, gracing her fingers over her skin before sitting back in her chair. Eve restrained herself of shuddering at the contact, she knew that Villanelle was watching her carefully.

“Carolyn sent me.”

“Why?”

“Konstantin’s intel has told him that there could be a potential lead in Tuscany.”

“Regarding the assassin?” Villanelle nodded. Eve paused for a moment, “What does that have to do with me?”

Villanelle smirked, leaning forward. “Carolyn wants you to go follow up on the lead.”

“Oh.” Eve breathed. If she thought three years ago that the research that she was collecting on a whim would lead her to following an assassin across multiple countries, she would have called herself crazy. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Oh, Eve you haven’t figured it out yet?” Villanelle chuckled; she ran a finger down the side of her mouth. Eve watched as her finger dragged across her bottom lip. “That shepherd’s pie was really good.”

“Villanelle.”

“What?”

“Answer the question.”

“You need a translator.”

“What?” Eve stared at Villanelle. She felt conflicting feelings of excitement and confusion rising in her. Her mouth gaped open as she stared at the blonde.

Villanelle’s eyes darkened as she flickered them over Eve’s body, eventually meeting her gaze. “I’m coming with you, Eve.”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! My laptop keeps shitting itself so it might be a little longer for the next chapter to come out, but hopefully with tax time (best time of the year for an Aussie) I can get a new laptop and get writing again!


	5. Tuscany

“Tuscany, Eve? TUSCANY!”

Niko stood across from her, the kitchen counter between them. She winced at his words. Villanelle had just left with a wink promising Eve that it was going to be a _trip of a lifetime._

Eve tried to break the news to Niko gently, but there was no easy way to tell her husband that she was going on a work trip just as they were trying to work through their marriage problems.

“Is our relationship is going to be like from now on?” Niko scoffed, running his hands through his hair. “Anytime things get hard are you just going to leave? Are you going to run away anytime there are hard decisions to be made, Eve?”

“Niko, it’s not like that.”

“Then what _is_ it like _,_ Eve?”

“This trip is for work. I am not running away from our problems, trust me. Carolyn just wants me to follow up on some leads there, that’s all.” Eve retorted. She watched as Niko grimaced at her words, she could see that his thoughts were going a mile a minute.

“So, your work is more important than our marriage now?”

“I never _said_ that.”

“You implied it, Eve.” Niko held his hand up, pointing to her like he was scolding a student. Eve usually would get a little flustered or turned on at the action, but now she just found it condescending. “I can’t look after you if your traipsing around in another country.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. “You just don’t unde-“

“No, Niko.” Eve said, finally snapping. “I don’t think _you_ understand. I have been stuck at a shitty job for _years_. I was made to write hundreds of pieces on Chinese restaurants just because my boss was a casual racist. And now… and now I finally have a chance to finally do what I have always wanted to do. Can’t you just be supportive?”

“Supportive? Eve, I _want_ to support you, I want to support everything you do. But I can’t do that if you are going to bugger off to another bloody country! You kissed a guy last time you did that!”

“At least I didn’t fuck my co-worker.”

They stared at each other. She could tell that it was a low blow, but the way in which Niko was reacting told Eve that there was a semblance of truth to the claim. There wasn’t anything he could say back to her, as he knows that the situation that she had walked into that past weekend was just as bad as Eve’s drunken hook up.

Eve looked away from him. She was drained. Feeling empty from having this conversation over and over and over again. She felt smothered by him.

Niko sighed, turning away, and leaning against the sink. Eve stared at his back. _He just does not get it._

“You know, Niko?” Eve breathed. “Sometimes I think that I’m all you have.”

His back tensed at her words. She could see his hands gripping the edge of the bench, his fingers turning white.

Niko stood from his position, keeping his back to her. “I’ll grab the suitcase for you.”

* * *

TUSCANY

Much to Eve’s surprise, Villanelle didn’t fly with her. Carolyn informed Eve that the other woman had some work do to before Eve arrived. Not that Eve minded, she didn’t know if she could be stuck with Villanelle in tight quarters. Even if it was for a short plane ride.

Eve arrived at the house that Carolyn had organised for their stay. She had packed one small suitcase of clothes, a backpack that contained her hard drive and a laptop that Carolyn had provided for the trip.

The house was luxurious, situated on a hill that looked onto the city of Siena. It was a small home, not far from the main road into the city, made of sandstone and red brick. The room Eve had picked looked onto a panoramic view of the Italian countryside. The sweeping green hills, the dirt roads, the yellow light of the sun streaking across the sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. She sat on the bed, looking out the window as she ran her hands over the plush white linen.

Even the serenity of the Italian countryside could do little to calm Eve’s mind. The argument between her and Niko still hung in the back of her mind. She knew she stung him with her words, and after that conversation he had shut down completely. They stopped talking, say for some moments, when she told him the time of her flight and when he messaged her that he had ran out of toilet paper.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing. Carolyn’s name flashed across the screen, and Eve eagerly answered the call. “Carolyn, Hi.”

“Hello, Eve. I do trust that you reached your accommodation with no issues.”

“Yes! The house is amazing. I can’t thank you enough for this opportunity.”

“No need to thank me Eve.” Carolyn said, her tone dry as always. “I will have Kenny send you through the important information for the assignment on an encrypted email. Most of the people you will be meeting with do not like being recorded, so there is a box that contains a pin head microphone that you can attach to your shirt or earring, wherever suits your fancy. This will stream directly to your phone and needs to be transferred onto the hard drive.”

“This is all getting very _spy_ like.” Eve laughed, not believing the lengths Carolyn will go to.

“I suppose it is.” Eve could hear a light chuckle in her voice.

“Well thank you for checking in Carolyn, I’ll be sure to call you if any important information comes up.”

“Thank you, Eve.” Carolyn paused. “Villanelle should arrive shortly. Konstantin said she is very _eager_ to work with you.”

“Oh…” Eve swallowed. “I suppose I should take that as a compliment.”

“Do, you are doing some extraordinary work… also please keep an eye on her, Eve. Konstantin says she has a habit of… _making a scene_.” Carolyn said, causing Eve to furrow her brow. “Just make sure she stays on the task at hand. She is not the journalist here, you are. She just translating the interviews for you. If there’s any form of trouble give me a call.”

“Will do.”

“Thank you. Goodbye, Eve.”

The line went dead. Eve let the phone slip out of her hand, flopping herself back on the mattress. She didn’t know how she was going to survive this trip. Especially with Villanelle causing trouble.

* * *

Carolyn stood looking out at the rain that whipped against the window. The grey skies of London had opened up, and the downpour had put a stop to her plans of lounging around in her backyard for the afternoon.

“It’s a shame,” Carolyn said, holding her hands behind her back. “I was planning on reading a book.”

“You can read a book inside, Carolyn.” Konstantin said from behind her.

She turned to him, hands still behind her back, she tilted her head ever so slightly. A pout barely making it onto her features. “I don’t like to read inside… I get too claustrophobic in my own thoughts. Better that I be outside, so I don’t have to deal with myself in a confined space.”

Konstantin nodded, not entirely understanding the point she was trying to make.

“I might just have a bath then,” Carolyn turned to walk out of the living room.

“Do you really think this is a good idea?”

“I think it’s a great one,” Carolyn said as matter of fact, turning back to him. “Kenny bought me these things called bath bombs for Chri-“

“I’m not talking about you having a bath, Carolyn,” Konstantin cut her off, raising his eyebrows. She looked down at him, her expression hardening.

“It is all going exactly to plan Konstantin, don’t you worry.”

“I do worry though,” he said standing up and moving towards her. “Villanelle is _really_ annoying, and Eve will probably go bald from pulling her hair out in frustration.”

“Eve is perfectly capable at staying on task,” Carolyn said in a sterner tone. They stared at each other, neither one budging. They knew each other too well. “If anything, Villanelle’s _personality_ will probably be a welcome distraction. We don’t want Eve finding out why I specially picked her to research these murders and Villanelle’s constant need for attention will probably draw Eve away from the finer details.”

Konstantin sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Carolyn… I still don’t think this is the best idea, using a random journalist to do your dirty work.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Watch out Konstantin, you are overstepping your bounds.”

“Just be careful,” Konstantin patted her on the shoulder as he made his way to the front door. “You don’t want the truth to get out.”

She watched Konstantin as he left. He shrugged his coat on and opened the front door. He turned one last time to look at her, “enjoy your bath, Carolyn.”

* * *

Villanelle had messaged Eve to meet her out the front of the house. This was fifteen minutes ago and there still was no sign of her. Eve sighed looking at her watch, it was late afternoon and the sun was reflecting brilliantly off the rolling green Italian hills. A soft breeze had picked up, making Eve’s hair tickle her face. She hated it. It was unbearably calm.

The sound of a revving engine started in the distance, growing closer by the second. Eve watched as a dust cloud formed on the dirt road that lead to the house. The dot of a motorbike appeared over the hill. Eve couldn’t quite make out the figure. It wasn’t until the bike was approaching the house that Eve realised who it was.

“Motherfucker.”

Eve folded her arms as the bike skidded to a halt. She watched as the rider’s hands reached up and pulled the helmet off, letting honey blonde hair fly out into the breeze.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” Villanelle called out to Eve as she dismounted the bike. She was dressed in the most casual clothing that Eve had ever seen her in. A flowing turquoise blouse with denim cut-off shorts and doc marten boots. She looked breathtaking.

Eve rolled her eyes, turning on her heel and walking back into the house. Villanelle followed behind her; helmet tucked under her arm. Eve could feel Villanelle’s smile boring into the back of her head. Her cheeks started to flush.

“You really like to make an entrance, don’t you?” Eve said, leaning against the small wooden dining table as she watched Villanelle raise an eyebrow.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, Eve.” She set down the helmet, hopping up onto the island counter in the kitchen, she swung her legs looking at Eve with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

“A motorbike really?” Eve asked, “You couldn’t have gotten us a car?”

Villanelle pouted, “I thought you’d like it.”

Eve stood up, regarding the blond with a sceptical gaze. “Carolyn called and said that you like to… _cause trouble_.”

Villanelle laughed. It rung out through the small house. Eve didn’t know how much of this she could take. The blonde stopped swinging her legs, she lifted herself off the bench and moved towards Eve.

Eve watched as Villanelle walked toward her and she pressed herself harder against the table. Villanelle stopped inches from her, their chests almost touching. Eve wanted to look away, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Villanelle’s.

“I only cause trouble…” Eve could feel her breath on her face. Villanelle dipped her head in closer, her lips itching up into a smirk, “…when I’m bored. You probably wouldn’t like it when I’m bored.”

Eve looked away. Villanelle smelt amazing, like sandalwood and leather. It suited her. Eve couldn’t imagine Villanelle having a flowery scent.

Eve coughed awkwardly. Villanelle still stood over her, smirking at Eve’s obvious discomfort. “I – uh,” Eve started, her eyes flicking up to Villanelle’s. “We need to get a start on collecting any information that might help the investigation.”

Eve went to move away but Villanelle’s hand stopped her. She lightly pressed Eve’s chest, making her lean back against the table. “I have something to important to ask you before we begin,” Villanelle basically purred, her fingers moving to play with the collar of Eve’s shirt. Eve’s body arched into the blonde. She felt all the air leave her lungs. “Is this a sweater attached to a shirt?”

“What?”

Villanelle stepped back, “Like is your shirt and sweater separate or are they sown together?”

Eve felt herself deflate. She moved away from the table, mentally slapping herself for her body reacting to Villanelle in the way it did.

“Yeah, they’re sown together.”

“Oh, Eve,” Villanelle tutted, her tone light and playful. “We’ll have to look into getting you a new wardrobe.”

Eve now understood what Carolyn said when she meant that Villanelle was one to _make a scene_.

* * *

Eve woke early, eager to see if any new information came up on the next victim. They had been in Italy for three days and all Eve could do was sit and wait for Kenny send through the information she needed to locate her sources.

Villanelle had other plans, she left Eve to do her work while she went and explored the nearby city. Eve couldn’t believe the amount of shopping bags that she had come home with the day before, not to mention the beautiful blue floor length gown that she was wearing when she walked in the front door. Eve was sure that she must have stolen it from somewhere.

Eve stood in the kitchen making coffee when she heard the front door open, Villanelle entered the room only wearing a pink silk night gown that stopped mid-thigh. She padded in with bare feet and carried a handful of eggs with a big smile plastered across her features.

“What are you doing?”

“There’s a chicken coup in the backyard,” Villanelle said, placing the handful of eggs gingerly on the counter, “I am going to make you an omelette.”

“Really?”

“Yes really.”

Eve sighed, moving out of the kitchen with her coffee. The house was stocked with a grinder and a classic Italian coffee maker, it was the best shit that Eve had ever tasted. Even better than the stuff Elena would get from the niche cafes around their workplace.

Villanelle moved into the kitchen, grabbing out the cooking utensils she will need to make the omelette. Eve grabbed her laptop, opening the file on the supposed next victim. Cesare Greco’s photograph popped up, an old man with a nice smile. Eve stared at his picture softly, liking how kind his eyes looked. She read up on the information about him. He’s rich, lives in the area, and his birthday was a couple days ago. Not much else for Eve to go on. Eve typed into a private database that Kenny set up on the laptop. Now she really felt like a spy.

A plate clattered next to her. Eve looked up to Villanelle standing above her, she looked at the laptop screen with a wistful expression. “Nice face.”

Eve grabbed the plate and pulled it towards her. The omelette looked amazing with chopped onion, prosciutto, tomato, parsley, and mushrooms. Eve stabbed a piece of it with a fork and had to stop herself from moaning. “Wow,” she said around the steaming pile of eggs in her mouth, “this is _really_ good. What’s that earthy after taste?”

“I used a little bit of truffle oil to give it more flavour,” Villanelle smiled, sitting on the dining table right next to Eve. Her night gown rode up her thighs, making Eve’s eyes shoot down to the exposed skin. She pulled her eyes away, only to notice how Villanelle’s nipples were straining against the fabric of the nightgown. Eve quickly averted her gaze to the laptop screen, her neck burning from the blush creeping onto her cheeks. She could feel Villanelle’s eyes on her.

The blonde reached out and tucked a strand of Eve’s hand behind her ear, making a shiver run down her spine. Eve was brought back to the club, the feeling of Villanelle’s fingers raking up and down her body. The beat of the music thrumming through her. Villanelle’s lips hot on her neck.

Eve gave Villanelle a pointed look, the blonde just bit her lip with a coy smile and hopped down off the table. Eve watched as Villanelle walked towards her bedroom, she glanced back over her shoulder at her.

This assignment was going to be impossible.

* * *

“I have good news and bad news, Eve.” Carolyn’s voice sounded over the phone. It was mid-afternoon and Eve still hadn’t received any more information regarding the sources. Eve had gone to call Carolyn, but not before her name buzzed across her screen. “Which would you prefer to hear first?”

“Bad news.” Eve chewed at her thumb, she had agreed to visit the nearby city with Villanelle, not before she found out that they would have to take the bike. On the plus side, Villanelle had brought two helmets with her. On the downside was that Eve’s hair looked more like a bird’s nest than it usually did.

They sat in a quaint ice cream parlour, with Villanelle already on her second bowl of ice cream. Eve sat with her own half-eaten bowl in front of her, having to whack Villanelle with her spoon every time she tried to sneak a taste.

“Bad news is that the target is dead.”

“What?” Eve almost shouted, the shock of the statement hitting her. Villanelle looked to her with wide eyes, as did other patrons of the ice cream parlour. Eve sunk in her chair a little.

“He was murdered at his birthday party yesterday. His grandson found him on the floor of his room with a hairpin stabbed into his eye. A shame really.”

“Jesus.” Eve sighed, letting her spoon clatter into her bowl. She ran a hand through her tangled hair. “Kenny didn’t even get a chance to send me through the information on the sources around him. Could you at least organise any crime scene photos or interviews with any witnesses?”

“I’m afraid not Eve,” Carolyn replied, her tone flat. “Greco is already dead, and we are sure that it was done by the same assassin.”

“How can you be sure?” Eve said becoming agitated.

“Just the style in which it was done. As you pointed out, Eve, she has a certain _flare_ to how she does her dirty work, and this is no different to her other kills.” Carolyn said pointedly, Eve could tell that Carolyn had not liked the tone in which Eve had spoken to her with.

“Does that mean were going to go home?” Eve said dejectedly, making Villanelle look to her, a confused expression. At least she wouldn’t have to work with Villanelle anymore, Eve’s feelings were all over the place at the moment and Villanelle was doing little to lessen the confusion.

“This is where I give you the good news. You will both be going to Paris to chase another potential lead.”

“Villanelle will be coming too?” The blonde watched Eve with curious eyes as she spooned ice cream into her mouth. Eve did not know if the pit in her stomach was from dread or excitement.

“Of course, Eve, Villanelle is fluent in French and can help you with the language barrier.” Carolyn said, she sounded like she was bored with the conversation. “I have your train tickets booked for the morning. Have your bags packed and be sure not to leave anything behind. I don’t think the next people who stay in the house will appreciate finding pictures of dead bodies under the kitchen table.”

With that Carolyn hung up. Villanelle sat staring at Eve, now eating ice cream directly from Eve’s bowl. Eve didn’t care, she leaned back in her chair and glanced back at the other woman.

“What was that all about?”

“Were going to Paris.”

“That’s great!” Villanelle smiled, shovelling another spoon of ice cream in her mouth. She looked at Eve again, now reading the expression on her face. “Are you not excited?”

“I am…” Eve trailed off, “I just don’t know how Niko will take it.”

* * *

PARIS

Eve and Villanelle had already arrived in Paris by the time Eve had called Niko. Eve went off to wave for a cab while Villanelle sorted their luggage.

“Niko, Hi!”

“Eve,” Niko’s voice sounded flat over the phone. Eve decided that it was just the connection making him sound like that. “How is Tuscany?”

“Tuscany was great!” Eve exclaimed, feeling the onslaught of an argument coming on. A cab pulled up in front as her just as Villanelle walked out of the train station. Eve got into the back seat while Villanelle and the taxi driver loaded the bags into the trunk of the cab.

“Was? What do you mean ‘was’?”

“Well… we’re in Paris now!”

“Paris? Eve, for god sake!” Eve had to hold her phone away from her ear to spare her ear drum from bursting at the volume of Niko’s voice. He was mad.

“Are you mad?” Villanelle got into the front seat of the taxi, talking in French to the driver, presumably about the location of their accommodation.

“Mad! I’m not mad, Eve.” Niko’s tone softened, “I’m disappointed. I just don’t think you understand that we can’t fix anything if you’re running around trying to catch a killer.”

“I’m not –“ Eve lowered her voice, “trying to catch a killer, I’m just following up on leads for a story.”

“That is going to be one big story, Eve.” Niko spat, his tone stinging like venom. “I’d love to read what you’ve written so far.”

Eve then realised that she had nothing to show for all her research. Countless hours of collecting all this information and she had not written one word for the story. Carolyn had not pushed her to write anything either, whereas Bill and Elena were being kept on their toes by looming deadlines.

Eve stopped for a second, words getting caught in her mouth. “Huh,” Niko said, she could feel shame washing over her at the dejected tone of his voice. “Looks like this story you are chasing is not a story at all.”

“Niko-“

“I’ve got to go Eve, enjoy Paris.”

Eve shoved her phone into her pocket just as the driver pulled up in front of an apartment building. She got out going to unload the boot of the car, swinging her backpack over her shoulder, and pulling out her suitcase.

“Do you have the check in information, Villanelle?”

“What check in information?”

Eve looked at the blonde with an alarmed expression. “You know the check in details that we need to get into the accommodation. Carolyn should have sent it to us. I just assumed that you would have it since you knew the address of the apartment.”

Villanelle waved her off with a dismissive hand, making Eve furrow her brow incredulously. “We don’t need check in details to get into my own home.”

“Wait, you live here?”

“Of course.” Villanelle said as she picked up her suitcases and pulled them towards the entrance. “Well, I visit throughout the year. I stay here whenever I have a job in Paris.”

“Shit.” Eve muttered wondering how much money translators must make in a year.

They reached the top of the stairs to where Villanelle’s apartment was. Eve watched as she unlocked the door and swung it open.

“Wow.” Eve said, her words leaving her as she took in Villanelle’s apartment. “This is chic as shit.”

“Thank you, Eve.” Villanelle chuckled, wheeling her suitcases into the bedroom. Eve followed behind her looking to the large bed with silk sheets.

“Where will I be sleeping?” Eve looked around the one-bedroom apartment.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you.” Villanelle turned to her, a smirk playing on her lips. “We’re going to have to share a bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got a little spicy with the shifting of POVs from Eve to Carolyn ;) I do hope you guys are enjoying this fic! Please leave a comment or drop a kudos if you're feeling fancy :))


	6. Paris

Eve pulled the blanket tighter over her frame, the soft leather of the couch squeaking under her. She had refused to share the bed with Villanelle, claiming that it was unprofessional. But two nights on the leather couch had her body aching in places she didn’t know could ache. Eve had woken not long ago, her mind working too fast even sleep.

The soothing sounds of Paris traffic drifted through the windows of Villanelle’s apartment. The sheer curtains stirred with the breeze that brought in the smells of city life - coffee, cars, food. There was also the lingering smell of Villanelle’s perfume that clung to the walls of the apartment, the woody and leathery scent bringing an odd form of comfort to Eve.

Eve shifted on the couch, propping herself up on her elbows, she looked around the small space. It was homey, with little bits and pieces decorating every corner and crevasse of the apartment. Eve could see that this place was well lived in, with miss matching furniture, vases and jars lining the shelves, photographs and paintings hung in random places, pieces of vintage décor cluttered on any available surfaces, souvenirs that Villanelle had obviously picked up in her travels. Eve wondered if her other places of residence looked like this. She could sense a lot of Villanelle in this space. She could see so much of her personality within the apartment, more than Villanelle had let on from her cocky exterior. Eve felt almost like being there was an invasion of privacy.

Her eyes moved to the other end of the apartment to where the double doors opened into the bedroom. There Villanelle was sleeping with her blonde hair splayed over the pillows. The white duvet and silk over sheet wrapped around her. Eve could see the steady rise and fall of her chest. She looked peaceful, with her eyelashes fanned over her cheeks and her lips slightly pursed. Eve felt a tugging in her chest at the idea of waking up next to that every morning, but she shook the thought from her head, reminding herself that nothing was ever going to happen between them. Not again.

Eve rose from her spot on the couch, moving into the bathroom in just an oversized tie-dyed pyjama shirt that Villanelle had given her. Eve hadn’t worn anything like this since she was in college, making her feel like she was in her early twenties again. She missed those carefree days where she would get up close to midday after a night of partying and would eat 2-minute noodles from a mug. Now here she was with a stunning woman asleep in the room next to her. To an outsider it might look like a passionate love affair taking place in the most romantic city in the world. To Eve it just looked like she was escaping her marriage problems by submerging herself in her job and avoiding conflict by agreeing to go on every impromptu work trip that was thrown at her. Which it was, to be honest.

Eve turned on the tap of the pink bathtub, almost rolling her eyes at the extravagance of the golden fish shaped faucet. The bath filled quickly, with the heat of the water causing steam to cloud the room, making the tiles slick. Eve pulled back her hair into a frizzy bun and discarded her clothes. Just as she was about to step into the water, she looked to a shelf that was littered with an array of perfume bottles, bath oils and salts. She picked up a small brown bottle with a white label that read ‘CEDARWOOD, LEATHER AND CARDAMON’, she unscrewed the cap and inhaled the woody scent. She then sook a couple drops of the oil into the bath, letting the aroma fill the room. It was the same perfume that lingered every time that Villanelle was in her presence, the same comforting scent that reminded Eve of the other woman every time she took in a deep breath.

Eve lowered herself into the water, letting her muscles relax into the almost boiling hot water. Eve loved the sensation of hot water singeing her skin, making her go red all over at the heat that enveloped her being. She ran her hands over her body, massaging herself where she could feel the most tension. She slowly worked her way down her body, from her neck to her torso to each of her thighs. She was ignoring the throbbing sensation between her legs, not wanting to encourage any thoughts she might be having of the woman in the other room.

But the desire was there, and Eve couldn’t help the sharp intake of air when the back of her hand grazed her most sensitive spot.

Eve let her hand graze the area again, this time opening her legs to allow for more access. She settled further into the water, letting her hand nestle comfortably against her inner thigh. Her fingers reached out and softly parted her folds, making her toes curl. Eve gently ran her fingers up and down, revelling in the vibrations that were shooting up her body.

She tried to think of Niko touching her, his hands, his lips, his dick. But it did nothing for her. She was so use to him, his soft body with no sharp or exciting edges. Just hair. Lots and lots of hair.

Eve continued wiping the images of her husband out of her mind. She thought it was best to try keep her imagination blank.

Her fingers came to rest on her clit, Eve let out all the air in her lungs, sighing at the contact. She gently pushed on her clit, causing her to buck her hips. The water swished in the bath, as Eve stroked herself, rubbing her fingers in circles around her clit and then up and down her folds, teasing herself at her entrance. She brought her other hand forward and started to circle her bundle of nerves tenderly, while she easily slipped two fingers inside of herself. Eve’s eyes rolled back in her head.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she was met with the vision of Villanelle at the club. Villanelle leaning so close she could see the freckles on her nose. Villanelle’s lips on her neck and her hands on her hips. She was consumed by Villanelle’s signature scent. Eve could imagine the feeling of Villanelle’s strong hands on her, her long slender fingers gracing up and down her body. She shuddered at the thought.

She picked up a steady rhythm, her hips rising to meet the motions of her hands. She could feel the tension building up in her core, feeling bolts of electricity striking through her body. Eve’s toes curled at the sensation. She threw her head back and imagined Villanelle’s hand reaching up and tugging her hair, her lips gracing her collar bones and her teeth sinking into the soft spot on her shoulder.

Eve curled her fingers inside of herself and pressed hard on her clit, eliciting a moan as she orgasmed, slowly pumping two fingers inside of herself as she rode it out. Her hands fell to her sides and she lazily picked her head up, her eyes flickering open against the steam of the room. She felt that all the tension had left her body, finally feeling relaxed for the first time in days. If not weeks.

She let herself sit in the bath for a while longer, tracing the tiles next to her, letting her mind wander to anything but work and Niko. The images of Villanelle still lingered in her mind. As much as she shouldn’t be thinking about her new work partner, she couldn’t help it.

Eve lifted herself from the bath, her legs unsteady from her activities. She wrapped herself in a ridiculously soft towel and made her way into the living area. Eve turned at the smell of cooking and found Villanelle standing in the kitchen, drizzling honey into a sizzling frying pan.

“Good morning.” Villanelle said, her tone brighter than usual. Eve smiled at her, hoping that she didn’t look like she just jerked off to the thought of the blonde.

“Morning.”

“We have a big day ahead of us, so I am making you a Russian breakfast.” Villanelle held up the spatula and waved in Eve’s direction. They had an interview lined up with one of Konstantin’s sources who would tell them who they believed the next target to be. Eve made Carolyn promise that this one wouldn’t get murdered before Eve could gather the information she needed.

“Thank you.” Eve smiled, leaning against the kitchen counter, watching as Villanelle prodded the sausages in the pan. The blonde waved her off, giving Eve a genuine smile.

Eve quickly left the room to get changed, only to come back to find a plate piled high with sausages and eggs. She sat next Villanelle on the couch, who had already started on her breakfast. They ate together in silence, Eve devouring every last bit of it.

Villanelle smiled at her proudly, “You eat very well.”

“Thanks?” Eve said through a mouthful of food. The blonde quirked her eyebrow as she lifted her fork to her mouth. Eve felt her cheeks redden under her gaze, feeling like Villanelle could see right through her. Like she knew exactly what Eve was doing only 20minutes before. Eve looked down at her plate, hoping that she doesn’t look like a complete idiot.

They finished their breakfast with light conversation. It felt oddly intimate to Eve, the action of sitting together and eating breakfast. She rarely did this with Niko. She took the plate from Villanelle and went to wash up, leaving the blonde to go get ready for the day. Eve felt very _domesticated_ , like the interactions between her and Villanelle was something you would see between a married couple. Of course, Eve and Niko acted like this together, but it was very casual, they had their routine and knew what their chores were around the home. But with Villanelle, it was different. The sounds of the city acting as some sort of soundtrack as Eve walked out of the bathroom in just a towel to find Villanelle making her breakfast. The intimacy behind the small talk between them while they ate. How Eve was more than willing to clean up the dishes while Villanelle went to get ready for the day. She would never do that for Niko.

Eve finished the dishes and stacked them neatly on the drying rack. She looked around the apartment again, having a closer look at the different trinkets that lined the kitchen shelving. Eve’s eyes stopped on a clear perfume bottle that had no label. She tilted her head, confused as to why it didn’t have the same designer label attached to it. _Maybe it’s a custom perfume,_ she thought to herself.

Eve reached for the bottle, turning the it over in her hands and watching the clear liquid slosh around. She took the cap off, bringing it to her nose to inhale the scent.

“Eve, what are you doing?” Villanelle’s words stilled her movements. The blonde looked at her with hard eyes, making Eve put the cap back on the bottle and set it back down on the counter. She didn’t even get to smell it.

“Oh, I just wanted to smell the perfume.” Eve gave her a weak smile, unsure to why Villanelle’s voice had turned so serious.

“It smells like shit,” Villanelle said. She moved towards Eve and swiped the bottle off the kitchen counter, slipping it into her back pocket. “I am going to return it.”

Eve nodded, giving Villanelle a small smile. She finally got to have a good look of Villanelle, who wore a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, tucked into black trousers and black pumps. Her hair was twisted up into a tight a bun with tendrils of hair framing her face. Eve could feel the lump form in her throat. Villanelle looked striking.

“Ready to go, Eve?” Her voice was softer now.

“Yeah, let me just grab my bag,” Eve said as she walked out of the kitchen, moving around Villanelle, and grabbing the bag with the recording devices and her laptop. She looked down at herself and sighed at her simplicity of her coat, black turtleneck, and grey pants. “Okay, lets go.”

Eve went to move toward the front door but was stopped by Villanelle’s hand on her wrist. “Leave it out.”

“What?”

“Leave it out.” Villanelle reached around Eve and tugged on her hair tie, letting her black curls fall to her shoulders. Eve’s eyes fluttered as Villanelle ran her fingers through her hair, feeling the roots tug ever so slightly. Eve stopped herself from moaning at the touch. She opened her eyes to find Villanelle’s gaze on her, she had a glint in her eyes that Eve couldn’t quite read. Eve stepped away from the blonde clearing her throat and thanking her for the fashion advice. Villanelle smiled at her, knowing too well that she was slowly unnerving Eve.

They made their way out of the apartment and onto the street below. They were just about to get into their taxi when Villanelle leaned in close to Eve and whispered, “Just letting you know that the walls in my apartment are _very_ thin.”

Villanelle hopped into the taxi, leaving Eve little time to be embarrassed.

* * *

They had met with their contact at a small café in one of the Paris side streets, where there was little foot traffic. The interview was dragging on for a lot longer that Eve had hoped for. Their contact was an older man, with little English. He worked for the same private company as Konstantin and claimed that his intel has told them that the next target was to be the French perfume designer Carla de Mann. This was all communicated in French between the man and Villanelle, and then relayed back to Eve in English. It took an hour longer than it should have and Eve was growing tired.

“ _Does she know why you’re really here_?” The man asked Villanelle in French, his eyes flickered over to Eve, making her straighten up.

Villanelle smiled, leaning forward, and clasping her hands together. She looked powerful. Villanelle replying in perfect French, “ _what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”_

“What is he saying?” Eve asked, looking at Villanelle, she didn’t acknowledge the question.

He leant forward, a strange smile forming on his face. “ _I wasn’t under the impression that we were allowed to bring in outsiders.”_

Villanelle huffed. Eve was confused to what was happening now. There was obviously something going on between the man and Villanelle. They watched each other with a careful gaze, making Eve uncomfortable with the tension in the room.

“ _Konstantin knows what he is doing_ ,” Villanelle said, straightening up. She smiled at him sweetly, her head tilting to the side as she said, “ _If I were you, I would keep my nose out of other people’s business.”_

The man gave Villanelle a tight smile, standing up from his seat. Villanelle and Eve rose with him, Eve shook his outstretched hand first, thanking him with the little French she knew. Villanelle shook his hand. The man’s eyes widened as she stilled their shaking and gripped his hand tightly, her eyes flickered down his body and she said in a low tone, “ _You don’t want to know what I do to people who question my motives.”_

Eve watched as the man swallowed, he pulled his hand out of Villanelle’s grip. He handed them a hard drive, thanked them for their time and promptly left.

“What was that about, Villanelle?” Eve asked, clearly confused by the tense interaction.

“We were just talking business,” Villanelle picked up her bag, and she turned to Eve giving her a slight smile. “He knows Konstantin.”

Eve nodded slowly, not entirely sure that the conversation was about _business_. “Okay…”

Villanelle checked her watch, causing her brow to furrow. “I’m sorry, Eve, I have some business that I must attend to. I will see you back at the apartment.”

“What-,” Eve started, watching as the blonde turned on her heel and started walking away from her. “I’ll see you later, I guess.”

* * *

Eve had spent the last hour and a half looking over the information on the hard drive that their contact had provided them. She sat staring at the picture of Carla de Mann, not understanding why she was suspected to be the next target.

Eve only had just realised that she had been so focused on how the murders were connected by the assassin’s flare, that she failed to see that the targets were not connected in any other way. The target in Tuscany was a suspected crime boss who worked for the Italian Mafia, and here is Carla, who is a world-renowned perfume designer. There seems to be no link between the victims, besides the fact that they are targeted by the same killer.

“Who wants them dead?” Eve whispered to herself, sipping on the glass of wine she had ordered. It was only 1pm but Eve decided that day drinking does not count when you are in Paris.

She pulled up another file which specified that Carla de Mann was being honoured at a political fundraiser lunch that afternoon. Eve perked up at this, seeing that de Mann was being recognised as a guest of honour for her major contributions to the fundraiser.

Something in Eve snapped, and before she knew it, she had decided to Gatecrash the fundraiser. She downed the rest of her wine, slung her press lanyard around her neck and left the café. Hoping that she could squeeze some intel out of the target herself.

* * *

“Hi, I’m Eve Polastri, I’m a lead journalist at _Martens Publishing and Co._ , and I was hoping that I could ask Miss de Mann some questions about her contribution to the fundraiser,” Eve said to the event organiser in her most professional tone. The event organiser’s eyes widened, and they beckoned her in, giving her a sticker that had ‘JOURNALISTE’ stamped onto it in bright red letters.

Eve made her way through the elaborate building, following the signs that pointed her to where the lunch was being held. She eventually found a room filled with rich looking French people and she knew she was in the right place.

She made her way around the perimeter of the room, keeping her eyes out for de Mann. She spotted her sitting at one of the centre tables, chatting with the people around her. Eve knew that she probably would be shut down the moment she tried to instigate any form of conversation with de Mann, especially around a bunch of her snobby counterparts. After some more scanning of the room, Eve noticed a young man standing with a tablet in the corner who watched Carla de Mann with rapt interest. Eve could see a tag pinned to his jacket and she knew that he was de Mann’s assistant.

Eve approached him with the kindest smile she could muster, she held up her press lanyard and introduced herself. The young man watched her with wide eyes, nodding his head eagerly when Eve asked him if it were okay if she could ask him a couple of questions about his boss. Eve then pressed the record button on her phone and dropped it into her jacket pocket.

“So,” Eve squinted at his name tag, “Jules! I wanted to ask about Miss de Mann’s contribution to the foundation and why exactly she has chosen to donate so much to this certain political candidate.”

“Well,” Jules started, gripping the edges of his tablet. “Miss de Mann has felt the changes that…”

Eve nodded as Jules started to talk about de Mann’s rough up bringing and how that has impacted her decision to donate such a large portion of her wealth to the political candidate. Jules specified that Miss de Mann felt that her vision for a better society was reflected in the work of the political candidate, etc., etc. Eve nodded, hoping that some of the information Jules could give her would point to a connection between de Mann and the other victims.

Their conversation was cut off when a woman stood up and tapped a knife to her champagne glass. From what Eve had gathered, it was the political candidate that Carla de Mann had donated all that money to. While she started on about how thankful she was for everyone attending, Eve moved around the room, taking this as her cue to leave so she could collect some notes and maybe come back in later to see if she could question Carla herself.

As Eve was leaving the room, her phone started to buzz. She moved away from the entrance to the dining hall and pulled her phone out of her pocket. Carolyn’s name lit up the screen.

Eve answered it. “Carolyn, Hi!”

“Hello, Eve. I was just calling to ask if Konstantin’s source provided you with enough information on Carla de Mann?”

“Yes, he did,” Eve replied. “I’m actually at a political fundraiser where she is the guest of honour, so I’m hoping to have a talk with her to see if there is any link between her and the other victims.”

“That is some good thinking, Eve.” Carolyn said, causing Eve to smile proudly. Just as Carolyn started to talk Eve’s eyes were drawn to Carla de Mann leaving the lunchroom. She looked as if she was headed to the powder room, and Eve knew that this was probably her only opportunity to get Carla to talk to her.

“…anyway, Eve, I think you and Villanelle make a good team, and Konstantin and I are hoping that you will be willing to work together more in future?”

Eve paused, not catching the last bit of the conversation. “Oh yeah! Of course!”

“Excellent. Well I must go, thank you for your time Eve.” The line went dead, and Eve dropped her phone back into her pocket.

She started walking in the same direction that Carla had gone, looking for signs for the powder room. Just as she rounded a corner and saw Carla walk into the female bathroom, Eve’s phone rang again. She groaned and pulled it back out of her pocket, only to find Niko’s name flashing across the screen. She wanted to decline the call so badly, but she knew that he would be mad if he suspected that she was avoiding him.

“Niko,” Eve said as she answered the call. She kept her eyes on the bathroom entrance, “What’s up?”

“ _What’s up?”_ Niko repeated, confused at her word choice. “I’m just calling to see when you’re coming home.”

Eve pinched the bridge of her nose, not wanting to get into an argument at this very moment. She had to physically restrain herself from groaning into the receiver. “I’ll be home when I have followed up on all of my leads.”

“And when will that be?”

“I don’t know, Niko.” Eve said coolly, biting her tongue from saying anything she might regret later.

“Could you find out?”

“No! It is impossible to know when I have collected all the information I need. I can’t exactly pull sources and quotes out of my ass, Niko. I need to do my job properly.”

“How much longer then? A week? A month?” Niko started. She could hear the anger rising in his voice. “I just want to know when my wife is coming home, that’s all I’m asking.”

“And I said I don’t know when that will be.” Eve sighed, finally being fed up with the conversation. She had more pressing matters to attend to, “I have to go, Niko.” She could hear his protests as she hung up the phone.

Eve started toward the powder room, quickly typing a reminder into her phone for herself to call Niko back later. Just as she entered the bathroom, she bumped into a staff member, she quickly glanced at the woman, mumbling an apology. The worker turned away so Eve could not see her face. She said something to Eve in French and quickly stalked out of the powder room. Eve shrugged, thinking that the worker probably wasn’t supposed to be in the guest’s toilet and was worried she was going to get snitched on.

She rounded the corner into the extravagant lounge in the powder room, hearing a light wheezing noise. Eve quirked her head at the sound. It started to get louder as she moved further into the room.

Eve gasped at the sight of Carla de Mann sprawled out on the powder room floor. Her eyes glassy and her mouth hanging open. Eve let out a cry, rushing to the woman’s side. She called for help, pressing her hands to the woman’s chest, seeing if she could try and resuscitate her. But as Eve started the compressions, she knew it was too late. Carla’s eyes had gone dead and her chest had stopped moving.

Eve stood, her hands going to her hair, not understanding what was happening. Others rushed into the powder room, gasping at the sight. Eve watched as the other women pulled out their phones and called for medical help, but there was no point. Carla was dead.

That was when it hit Eve. The worker. The woman she had bumped into. How she hid her face from Eve as she quickly exited the room.

Eve rushed out of the powder room looking around for any sign of the worker. But she was gone.

That’s when Eve knew that she had come in contact with the assassin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading ya'll, I hope you enjoyed it! I'm back to uni next week so I might not be updating as frequently, but I'll try to keep it going at a regular pace <3


	7. Paris II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some direct quotes from the show in this chapter, so I obviously don't own anything... hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> This chapter is NSFW ;)

Eve swung the apartment door open, shuffling through and shutting it behind her. She leant up against it, letting her bag fall from her shoulder and sliding her back down the door until she was sitting. She pulled her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her head against them.

“Eve?” Villanelle’s voice called out from somewhere in the apartment. She made no attempt to answer. “Eve, is that you?”

Eve could hear Villanelle enter the hallway, the sounds of her footsteps coming closer. She peaked out at the floor and saw Villanelle’s perfectly manicured toes next to her. She let out a deep sigh.

“The target is dead. The assassin got to her.”

“What?”

“Yeah…” Eve lifted her head, finally looking at the blonde woman who stood before her. Villanelle was dressed only in a silk dressing gown. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, with tendrils of hair falling into her face. Even though she had no makeup on, her skin was clear, and her cheeks were rosy. Eve didn’t know if she should have been envious or smitten with the blonde.

Eve lifted herself from the ground, steadying herself against the door as she did so. She could feel Villanelle’s eyes on her, but she couldn’t bring herself to meet them. They made their way into the small living space, Eve sprawling out on the couch and Villanelle standing and watching her.

“I found Carla de Mann dead on the floor of a powder room,” Eve sighed, rubbing her hands over her face.

“What were you doing in a powder room?”

Eve shot Villanelle a glare. She sat up straight, running a hand through her hair. “There was a lunch today for a political candidate… who’s name I forgot. Carla de Mann was there as the guest of honour. I went to see if I could find any links between de Mann and the other victims.” Eve paused, readying herself to repeat the events of that afternoon. “I followed her into the powder room, but I obviously didn’t get there quick enough because when I found her, she was on the floor dead. It looked like she had an asthma attack.”

Villanelle regarded her with a hard gaze. “So why do you think the assassin got to her?”

“Because…” Eve started, trying to piece together what happened. “There was a worker who seemed in a hurry on her way out. She wouldn’t look at me after she bumped into me. Then a few seconds later I found Carla…. I have a gut feeling that she was the assassin.”

“But you said Carla had an asthma attack.”

Eve looked at Villanelle with a quizzical expression. _What is she playing at?_

“Yeah but –“ Eve threw her hands up, flopping back onto the couch and letting out a low groan. “I don’t think that if a famous French designer was having an asthma attack that a server would be running away from her.”

“She could have been going to get some help.”

“She wasn’t!” Eve shouted, surprising herself at the outburst. She looked to Villanelle who had a similar expression on her face, she widened her eyes and turned away. “I’m sorry, Villanelle… I just don’t think it’s a coincidence that the assassin’s next target happened to die of an asthma attack.”

“It’s okay, Eve,” Villanelle said, she looked at her with a soft expression. Eve could feel warmth spread across her chest. “I understand that you have had a stressful afternoon.”

Eve sighed and closed her eyes. Wanting the weight of the day to be lifted off her shoulders. She couldn’t believe that another target was dead, and she possibly came into contact with the assassin. She lifted herself from the couch, stretching out her back muscles. She was tired and the idea of spending another night on the couch made her feel even more exhausted.

Villanelle turned to look at her, her eyes glinting in the soft light of the apartment. Eve met her gaze, giving her a half smile. “Look,” She started, running a hand through her hair. She knew she had to ask, but she just didn’t want to see the smug expression on Villanelle’s face. However, Eve knew that she wouldn’t get a good night sleep otherwise. “Do you mind if I sleep in the bed with you tonight?”

“Oh, Eve,” Villanelle said, her face remaining cool, but her eyes glinting in a mischievous way. “I thought you’d never ask.”

* * *

Eve sat with Villanelle at a small café, waiting for the meeting that was about to take place. It had been two days since Carla de Mann was murdered, and the two women were ordered by Carolyn to stay in Paris until she could fly out and meet with them.

Eve sipped on her coffee, trying to keep her eyes from wandering to Villanelle. Which was increasingly hard to do as their time together stretched on. They had to share the bed for the last two nights, and Eve kept waking up to Villanelle’s body being pressed against hers. That morning was no different, as Eve found herself nestled into Villanelle’s arms, and the other woman’s face nuzzled into her hair. Lucky for Eve she was an early riser and managed to detangle herself from Villanelle before she woke up.

Villanelle sat with her legs crossed, devouring an ice-cream cone. Eve hated the fact that she looked beautiful with a red and white patterned dress, and white sneakers. Eve also hated how her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, allowing the soft light of the Paris morning to refract off her amazing cheekbones. Eve couldn’t see the hazel of her eyes though, as they were shielded by a pair of brown tortoise shell sunglasses. Not that Eve cared anyway.

“You know that it is rude to stare, Eve.” Villanelle said with a smirk, licking some ice cream off her top lip.

Eve cleared her throat, setting down her coffee cup. “I wasn’t staring!”

“Hmm,” Villanelle moved her glasses, so they were perched on the crown of her head. She gave Eve a playful smile, “sure you weren’t.”

Eve was just about to make a snarky retort when Carolyn appeared beside their table. “Eve. Villanelle.”

“Carolyn!” Eve stood quickly, nodding her head to her boss. Villanelle remained seated, she gave Carolyn a tight smile and continued to eat her ice cream.

Carolyn took a seat at their table, grabbing a napkin and setting it on her lap. “I hope you two don’t mind but I have ordered myself some breakfast.”

The three women stayed silent. Eve sat and waited for Carolyn to start the meeting, glancing at Villanelle every few moments to see her finally finishing her ice-cream. Eve sipped on her coffee, wishing it were something a little stronger.

As soon as the waiter served Carolyn her meal, she cleared her throat. “It is very unfortunate that Carla de Mann died before we could gather any fruitful information. I do apologise Eve, that I couldn’t uphold my promise to ensure that the target would remain alive until we could gather such information, even if it were an asthma attack that killed her.”

“Yes, about that Carolyn,” Eve started, leaning forward. “I actually think that Carla de Mann’s death wasn’t a freak coincidence.”

“No?”

“I don’t think she died from an asthma attack.”

“How did she die then?”

“Eve thinks that the assassin killed her.” Villanelle interjected, lounging back in her chair, and giving Eve a sweet smile. Eve shot her a harsh glare, which only got her a bigger smile in return.

“Interesting.” Carolyn hummed, shoving some food into her mouth. She chewed for a moment, looking lost in thought. Eve could feel her heart in her throat, knowing that it was a big accusation that could make Carolyn think that Eve was grasping at straws. “And what makes you so sure of this?”

“When I was walking into the powder room, I bumped into a worker who seemed like she was in a hurry. She shielded her face from me, so I didn’t get to see what she looked like. Afterwards I went to look for her, but I couldn’t find her.” Eve replied, hoping that her theory made any semblance of sense.

“You think that was the assassin?”

“Yeah I do.”

“Is there any more evidence to suggest that this was your assassin.”

“Well…” Eve started, “I’ve been racking my brains trying to remember what this woman looked like. And from what I remember, she was brunette, white, tall and had a French accent. I know this is not much to go off, but I contacted the catering company-“

“You did what?” Villanelle interrupted her, looking at Eve with a confused expression. Eve looked to her and could not help but seeing something in the way Villanelle regarded her. She almost looked defensive.

“I contacted the catering company that worked for the function.” Eve repeated, watching as Villanelle narrowed her eyes and settled back into her chair. “I gave them the description of the woman, and they confirmed to me that there was a server there who worked that day who matched it. She wasn’t on their payroll, so they didn’t get a name or an address from her.”

“So, it was _her_.” Carolyn said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.

“But that doesn’t explain the asthma attack,” Villanelle countered.

Eve watched Villanelle carefully, not understanding why she was being so combative over the bloody asthma attack. The blonde just raised an eyebrow at her. Eve would want to slap her if she didn’t feel her cheeks flush at the sight of Villanelle’s cocky smirk.

Eve turned back to Carolyn, wringing her hands together. “I was hoping Carolyn… if you could try and pull any strings that would allow us to access Carla de Mann’s autopsy.”

Carolyn paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing and her lips pursing. She set down her cutlery over her now empty plate. The silence was killing Eve.

“Well, Eve…”

Eve leant forward in her chair.

“If you think that this autopsy is important for your assignment, then I will see what I can do to get it for you.”

Eve let out a sigh of relief. She thanked Carolyn profusely. They finished up the meeting with some small talk. Eve and Carolyn chatted about the other assignments that Bill and Elena have been working on, while Villanelle stayed uncharacteristically quiet.

Once Carolyn had footed the bill for breakfast and left, Eve and Villanelle were left alone once again. As they started to walk back towards the apartment Eve watched the other woman with questioning eyes. Villanelle kept her eyes forward, her posture straight and her jaw clenched shut.

Eve could tell something had shifted in Villanelle during that meeting, but she couldn’t figure out why.

* * *

Eve waited around the apartment for the next few hours. Carolyn had promised her that she would have Kenny email Eve a copy of the autopsy by the end of the day. She paced up and back in the small apartment, whilst Villanelle lay sprawled out on the bed, with her head handing off the side. She watched Eve pace, the annoyance on her face growing more prominent by the minute.

“Will you stop that already!” Villanelle sighed, shifting on the bed so she was now on her stomach and resting her head in her hand.

Eve stopped biting her thumb nail and looked back to the other woman. Villanelle sighed again, this time in a more dramatic manner, “Your pacing is annoying me. Can’t you just sit down and have some tea or something?”

Eve’s eyes narrowed, “I’m sorry that this is bothering you Villanelle, but if that autopsy comes through with anything suspicious on it, it could bring us one step closer to finding out who the assassin is, and why she is doing it.”

Villanelle’s face scrunched up at this, she now moved into a sitting position. “Why does it matter to you who the assassin is?”

“I-“ Eve thought for a moment, the words catching in her throat. Eve didn’t even know why it was so important to her who the killer was. She just wanted to know _why_ – that was where her story was. That is why she was chasing this assassin, because the reasons behind all these killings had to mean something and she wanted to be the person to uncover the truth.

Eve stopped her pacing, bringing a hand up to her face and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Villanelle.” She sighed, loving the way in which the name sounded on her lips. “It matters because we are on the verge of uncovering the truth. This assassin is tied to something a lot bigger… to an organisation who wants to wreak havoc on the world. I want to be the person who exposes this. But that woman – that girl – who is doing their dirty work is probably being coerced in some way, and if she is looking for a way out, I want to be the one to help her.”

Villanelle looked at Eve surprised. Eve just sighed, feeling her whole body deflate.

“I guess I never thought about it like that.” Villanelle said quietly, looking down at her hands resting in her lap.

“Yeah,” Eve said, running her hands through her hair, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

She moved toward the bed, sitting on the edge so her back was facing Villanelle. Eve was tired, all she wanted was the conformation from Carolyn. She just wanted to know that she was right. And then maybe she could actually find something that linked the murders. Maybe she could find something that would lead her to the identity of the assassin.

Eve laid back on the bed, feeling her body settle into the firm mattress. She let her eyes close on their own accord. She felt Villanelle move to lay next to her, feeling the mattress dip at the settling of the other woman’s form. Eve could smell the overwhelming scent of Villanelle’s perfume. It brought Eve that odd sense of comfort that she always felt when she inhaled the scent.

They stayed like that for a while. Eve was unsure whether the other woman had her eyes closed like herself, or if she was staring up at the ceiling. It was only when she cracked an eye open and stole a quick glance to the blonde woman, that she found that Villanelle was watching her. Eve felt a flutter in her chest at the intensity of Villanelle’s gaze.

She watched as Villanelle reached over and tucked Eve’s hair behind her ear. She revelled at the warmth that radiated from the blonde’s finger tips, at the intimacy of the action. Eve couldn’t shake the sense of calm and affection that she had towards Villanelle. Towards this woman she barely knew.

“I think about you all the time. Ever since Berlin… I just can’t get you out of my head.” Eve’s words rung out against the silent apartment. She watched as Villanelle’s eyes widened and glimmered.

They both shifted so they were laying on their sides, facing each other. Eve continued. “I think about what you’re wearing. And what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with. I think about what friends you have. I think about what you eat before work, and what shampoo you use. I think about your eyes and your mouth, and how amazing it is that you can speak and understand so many languages…. I just want to know everything about you.”

Villanelle watched Eve for a moment, causing anxiety to build up in her chest. The last thing she wanted was to be rejected after pouring her heart out to the woman who invaded her thoughts 24/7.

But her anxiety was diminished at Villanelle’s words, “I think about you too.” Eve felt herself relax at the words, unsure how to feel now that her feelings were reciprocated. “I mean…” Villanelle started, “I masturbate about you a lot.”

“Okay…that’s-.”

“Too much?”

“No… I just wasn’t expecting that.”

“Really?” Villanelle smirked. Reaching out and tracing her fingers down Eve’s arm. “Then what was it you were thinking about when you were in the bath the other day?”

Eve felt her face flush at Villanelle’s words. Villanelle’s smile grew at Eve’s silence. Of course, she knew that Eve was thinking about her. It was written all over her face the moment she walked out of the bathroom.

Eve covered her face with her hands, wanting to fold into herself. But Villanelle’s stopped her, they she pulled her hands from her face and held them in her own. They gazed at each other. Eve could feel Villanelle’s thumbs soothing over the backs of her hands. She inched closer to her, feeling the need to lessen the distance between them.

Villanelle shifted once more, so she was propped up on her elbow, looking down at Eve. She was dangerously close now. Her nose only centimetres from Eve’s. She tilted her head up, so their lips grazed each other. The contact sending bolts of electricity through Eve. She hadn’t felt excitement like this since the time she first met Niko. But this excitement wasn’t the same. It wasn’t the fuck me type of excitement – well it _was_ but it was different – it was more intimate. She wanted to explore Villanelle inside and out, she wanted to know what went on in her head, she wanted to know how she liked her eggs cooked. She wanted to know why she liked learning languages so much. She wanted to know what if felt like to have her head in between her legs.

Eve closed the distance between them, making Villanelle gasp into the kiss. Eve’s lips moved against hers, feeling the softness of her lips as her teeth lightly grazed them. Villanelle’s tongue traced her lips and Eve opened the kiss, allowing her to slide her tongue against Villanelle’s. Eve reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, tugging just enough for Villanelle’s hair to fall out of its bun, letting blonde tendrils float down and tickle Eve’s face.

Villanelle shifted so she was practically on top of Eve. She started to kiss down Eve’s neck, nipping and sucking on the tender skin there. Eve let out a low moan and she could feel Villanelle’s smile against her neck. She tugged a little harder on her hair, earning herself a moan. Eve smiled, pulling Villanelle up so they were eyelevel.

“I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“It’s okay,” Villanelle soothed, her hand coming up to trace Eve’s face. “I know what I’m doing.”

Eve almost laughed at Villanelle’s cockiness but was silenced when another long and lingering kiss was pressed into her lips. Eve almost felt dizzy at the contact. She brought her hands up and settled them on Villanelle’s waist, pulling down so she could grind into her. They both moaned at the contact. Eve felt the throbbing sensation start in her core, rolling her hips again so she could feel another bolt of pleasure. She revelled at the sounds that Villanelle was making.

The blonde moved so her lips rested against the shell of Eve’s ear. Eve moved again, pulling Villanelle down harder. This time she could feel the vibrations of Villanelle’s moans against her ear. This made Eve’s eyes roll back in her head and another bolt of pleasure to ripple through her body. She didn’t know how she was able to keep her hands off of Villanelle until now.

Villanelle reached down and moved Eve’s top over her chest, exposing her plain grey bra. Eve felt herself flush in embarrassment, kicking herself for occasionally not indulging in some nice lingerie. Villanelle’s eyes darked at the sight, and she pulled back Eve’s bra, so her breasts were exposed. Eve could feel her nipples harden against the cool air.

She watched as Villanelle leaned down and took a nipple into her mouth, sucking and licking the pert skin. Eve moaned, tangling her hand into the blonde’s hair. Villanelle reached up and started to play with the other nipple, causing Eve’s back to arch against the sensation. She looked up, her hazel eyes meeting Eve’s.

Eve was pretty sure she was going to cum from this alone.

Villanelle reached down with her free hand and started to undo the buttons of Eve’s pants looking to her for permission. “Is this okay?”

Eve nodded, swallowing hard. “Yea-“

The shrill of Eve’s ringtone rang out, causing both women to whip their heads to the direction of the sound. “You don’t have to get that do you?” Villanelle pouted, looking like a bratty child.

“It might be Carolyn.” Eve looked at her pointedly. Villanelle sighed, leaning down giving Eve one more kiss. Eve had to stop herself from grabbing Villanelle and pinning her down.

Eve got up from the bed and went to retrieve her phone. She rummaged through her bag for a few seconds more, finally locating it. She pulled her phone out of the bag and looked at the name that flashed across the screen. It wasn’t Carolyn. Eve answered it. “Kenny, hi.”

“Hello, Eve.”

“What’s up?”

“Carolyn had me send through the autopsy reports from Carla de Mann, I think that you’ll find them interesting.” Kenny replied. Eve smiled, knowing that her intuition was paying off. “There was a substance found in de Mann’s lungs that triggered the asthma attack, it was chemically engineered and was sprayed onto her face, almost like a perfume. You were right Eve, the assassin got to her.”

“Oh my god!” Eve said happily. Feeling a tiniest pang of guilt for celebrating de Mann’s death. “That’s great news. Well not great news for Carla, but you know what I mean.”

“There’s something else, Eve.” Kenny’s tone dropped, making Eve realise that there was something more sinister going on. “… are you alone?”

Eve looked back to Villanelle who was sprawled out on their bed still, her hair a mess and her lipstick smudged. She was paying no attention to the call, she just stared out into space with her hands fiddling with the hem of her dress. Eve wanted nothing more than to crawl back in bed next to her and finish what they had started.

She turned away from her, trying to keep focus on the task at hand. “Yeah I am.”

“There’s something really important that you have to see. I’m sending it through to you now.”

“Okay.”

Eve moved to her laptop, opening her emails, and clicking on the one she had just received from Kenny. It contained a bunch of CCTV photos.

“Did you get it?”

“Yeah.”

At first, the pictures were hard to make out, but the longer Eve looked at them the more she could see. In the first picture Eve could see the background to be the same building that Carla de Mann was murdered in; it was a picture of de Mann leaving the function room. In the second picture, the camera captured the back of the server that Eve had run into, as she was walking into the powder room after de Mann. It was the fourth picture that made Eve freeze.

The photo was of a tall brunette walking out of the powder room just after she had bumped into Eve. She regarded the camera with a cocky glint in her eye. The playful smirk tugging on her lips was all too familiar.

“Eve, are you okay?” Kenny’s voice sounded quietly from the receiver.

Eve felt her heart drop in her chest at the realisation. The assassin was Villanelle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I am back at uni now, so it might be a little longer between chapters from now on. I got a new laptop sorted so I will be able to keep up with writing and my uni work!
> 
> I think there might be a sneaky Villanelle POV in the next chapter, so hang around and you shall see ;)
> 
> Please leave a kudos or comment if ya feeling fancy!


	8. Paris III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the long absence, unfortunately uni is kicking my ass and I probably wont be updating for another little while :( 
> 
> This chapter is VERY NSFW ;)

STILL IN PARIS

After Kenny’s phone call Eve left the apartment. She mumbled something to Villanelle about how she wanted to explore Paris by herself. It was a piss poor excuse and Eve knew it.

So, she left the blonde in the apartment, trying to form some type of escape plan. Even though the evidence from the CCTV had confirmed Villanelle to be the assassin, Eve had to find something else that could incriminate her.

When she returned that night Villanelle was asleep, changed out of her red dress and into the same pink night gown she wore in Italy. Eve kicked herself for still finding the blonde attractive, knowing that she had the capacity to slit Eve’s throat in a matter of seconds. Which the idea of kind of turned Eve on, not that she was going to admit it.

Eve decided it was best to just act like nothing had happened. Like she was in the dark about everything. She just needed to find the right time to confront Villanelle and get out. So, she just went to bed next to Villanelle, scooting to the far edge of the mattress, hoping that the blonde wouldn’t reach out during the night and pull Eve’s body against hers.

Eve couldn’t sleep. She laid in bed wide awake the whole night, not moving an inch. She hoped that if she didn’t make any sudden movements that Villanelle wouldn’t try and kill her. Not that Eve thinks that she would kill her. But you never know.

The sun had started to filter in from the windows, the Paris morning coming alive. It was their sixth day in the city, and Eve knew that Niko, Bill and Elena would be itching for her to come home. She had been gone for more than a week at this point, and Eve wanted nothing more than to get back to the bustle of London. Not because of Niko, she didn’t mind the distance from him. She just wanted to get back to her job, away from the insane situation she was in. Away from a killer.

Eve rose from the bed, looking back at Villanelle who rested soundly. She was as beautiful as ever, her face smooth and relaxed, her arms resting above her head. Her blonde hair falling beautifully around her face. Eve hated the fact that even though Villanelle was a cold-blooded killer, she looked so innocent and lovely in the morning light. It was hard for Eve to look at her in contempt.

Eve made her way into the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she ran the bath, letting the steam fill the room. She stripped off, quickly submerging herself in the hot water. She was shaking, the shock and uncertainty rattling her bones. Eve was scared and she hated to admit it. She was scared of the fact that there was a sleeping assassin in the room next to her. That one wrong move could mean the end. She was scared of the fact that she was attracted to Villanelle, that her attraction to the blonde seemed to outweigh her fear. She was scared that she _liked_ Villanelle, more than she was supposed to.

Eve sunk into the bath, taking in a deep breath, letting her head be taken over by the water. She opened her eyes and watched the surface ripple only centimetres from her face. What she would do to just stay submerged forever, for the bath to swallow her whole. She wouldn’t have to go back out there and face a killer. Or worse – she wouldn’t have to go back home and face Niko. If she made it out alive, that is.

Long enough time had passed under the water for Eve’s chest to start constricting. She pulled herself from the depths, gasping as air filled her lungs once again. Eve gripped the lip of the tub, taking in a deep breath of muggy bathroom air. She had to get out of there. She couldn’t be found canoodling with a world class criminal. _What would Bill say?_

Eve got out of the tub, wrapping her hair up in a towel and securing a second one around her frame. She started to pull out the drawers of the bathroom sink, hoping that there was something else in there that could point to Villanelle being the assassin. All she could see was makeup wipes, tweezers, waxing strips. All stuff that a normal woman in her late twenties would have in her apartment.

“Shit.” Eve muttered as she went through the last drawer. Bringing up her hand to anxiously nibble on her thumb nail. She turned to the black dresser that stood in the corner of the bathroom, moving towards it, and opening the door. Eve was confused at the assortment of clothes that hung in there.

“A nurse uniform?” She pulled out the shirt on a hangar, looking at the blue scrubs with a confused expression. She put the scrubs back and started to file through the different clothes. A gardener’s outfit. A bar maid costume. A police officer’s uniform.

“Really?” Eve pulled out a black sheer corset, which Villanelle obviously used in one of her kills. The image of the murder flashed across Eve’s mind. She mentally slapped herself for getting turned on at the idea of Villanelle playing with a knife while wearing it.

Eve put the costume back, shaking the images out of her head. She parted the clothes and found a brown wig, the same colour and length of the worker that she had bumped into when she found Carla de Mann dead. Eve chuckled in surprise, sticking her tongue into her cheek. Her eyes moved to a black briefcase, she opened it gingerly, gasping at its contents.

Eve picked up the gun with only her thumb and pointer finger, scared that she might set off a booby-trap or something. Once she assessed that it was, in fact, a real gun, Eve turned to the switch blade. She flipped it open and her eyes widened at its length and sharpness. She quickly closed it but held onto it tightly at her side.

She opened the bathroom door quietly, padding out into the living room. Her heart skipped a beat when she found Villanelle missing from the bedroom. She turned to the kitchen to find the blonde leaning against the kitchen counter, with the laptop open in front of her. Eve held her hand with the knife behind her back, gripping it hard as a form of comfort.

“I don’t look very flattering in these photos.” Villanelle said nonchalantly, turning the laptop to face Eve. The CCTV photos were on the screen. She looked at Eve expectantly, obviously hoping to get a reaction from her.

Eve remained stony faced and still. “You read my emails?”

“Of course, I did,” Villanelle said as she rounded the bench, her hand trailing the surface as she did so. “After you got that phone call yesterday, I knew that something had happened. I knew it was not because of my kissing, because I am an excellent kisser.”

“Wow, cocky much?”

“You cannot deny it though.” Villanelle had her there. She was an excellent kisser.

They stared at each other for a few moments, waiting for someone to make a move. Eve cleared her throat, her voice finally coming back to her, “why are you here?”

“I thought that was made obvious.”

“No – I mean, why are you here with me?” Eve asked, she squeezed the knife behind her back, urging herself to say more. “You could have done your assassin job without me here.”

“I could have,” Villanelle moved closer to her, “But Konstantin thought it would be best that we kept an eye on you.”

“You didn’t seriously think that I wouldn’t find out eventually?”

Villanelle stopped and thought for a moment, Eve could see her critically analysing the situation. “Honestly, I didn’t think much about it. Konstantin must have thought that I would have been enough of a distraction to keep you from knowing the truth.”

“So, Konstantin put you up to this?”

“Not necessarily Konstantin. He is just following orders, just like me.”

“Does Carolyn know anything about this?”

“I think that if you go high enough, Eve, that you’ll find that we work for the same people.”

Eve stood, shocked at the words that came out of the blonde’s mouth. How on earth did a journalist like her get tangled up in a situation like this? Did Carolyn even know that her _business associate_ had a contract killer working for him? Was she the one who was ordering the kills?

Eve felt dizzy suddenly. She felt like the air around her was getting thinner and that the world was spinning. Villanelle watched her, her expression going from stony to concerned.

“Eve are you alright?”

“Yeah, I-“ Eve felt herself sway, she put a hand to her forehead, keeping the knife gripped securely behind her back. “I’m fine.” She pulled the towel off her head, letting her wet tangled hair fall onto her shoulders. Now realising that she was still only wrapped in a towel.

The one thing that kept coming into Eve’s mind wasn’t the killing. It was the idea that Villanelle was only using her. That she was lying to Eve about her feelings only to make sure that Eve stayed in the dark. The idea that Eve was just a plaything for Villanelle made her more disgusted than the idea of the blonde murdering someone.

Eve’s eyes met Villanelle’s. She could feel the heat of tears welling behind her eyes. She wouldn’t cry over this. She wouldn’t. “So, you were just hooking up with me as a _distraction_?”

“Eve.” Villanelle’s face softened as she sighed, taking another small step towards Eve.

“You thought you could flaunt yourself to me, kiss me, almost _fuck_ me just because you needed to distract me?” Eve’s voice quivered. At this point she didn’t even care that Villanelle was a murderer. “I have a husband… I have a life that I care about and I was willing to throw that away for a _murderer_?”

Villanelle’s eyes widened, she reached out to her but was stopped when Eve pulled out the knife. The blonde chuckled, her eyes flicked between Eve and the blade. She held her hands up in mock surrender.

“You’re not going to kill me.”

“Yes I am.” Eve snapped. She paused realising what she had just said, she shook her head, her wet hair sending water droplets flying. “I might. I’ll just hurt you… a little.”

Villanelle smiled, a small laugh bubbling in her chest. Eve felt herself go red in embarrassment, gripping the knife tighter and holding it a little higher. Villanelle stopped laughing, her brow furrowing. “Eve.” She said softly. Eve inhaled sharply at the sound of her name on Villanelle’s lips. “You know that I never want to hurt you right? I never intended to develop feelings for you. It was not my intention to use you, trust me. I can’t help myself around you because you are so _… amazing._ ”

“What?” Eve blinked.

“Eve, I have feelings for you,” Villanelle stepped toward her, the knife now pressing against her abdomen. Eve looked down at the blade, knowing that one swift push could possibly end the other woman’s life. She swallowed, looking back up and meeting Villanelle’s gaze. “I understand if you are scared, but I will never do anything to hurt you. _Ever._ I was not lying when I said that I have not stopped thinking about you since Berlin. You are all that is on my mind.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

Eve felt Villanelle’s fingers lightly brush against her hand that was gripping the blade. Their eyes stayed locked on each other, as Villanelle wrapped her hand around Eve’s. “You’re not going to hurt me, are you, Eve?” Villanelle whispered. Eve shook her head slightly, keeping her eyes connected with Villanelle’s. Slowly the knife was lowered from Villanelle’s abdomen. Eve couldn’t tell if it was the other woman pushing her hand down or if she was lowering it herself.

Villanelle raised a hand to brush Eve’s damp hair back from her face. She moved closer, dipping her head so their lips were almost touching. “I will never hurt you Eve, I promise.”

Eve kissed her hard. She dropped the knife, hearing it clatter to the floor. Villanelle scooped her up in one swift movement, carrying Eve to the bed with ease. The blonde laid her down gently, cradling her in her arms like she was something precious. Eve wrapped her arms around Villanelle, pulling her so she was on top of her. She wanted to forget everything she had just found out. She wanted to block it all out. All she wanted was to feel Villanelle.

Eve started to lick and suck every inch of Villanelle’s neck, eliciting moans with every soft spot she grazed her teeth against. She moved down Eve’s body, nudging the towel open so Eve’s breasts were exposed. She ran her fingers over Eve’s nipples, making them harden at the contact. Eve shivered, feeling her body arch at the motion. Villanelle started to kiss between Eve’s breasts, down her stomach to her abdomen. Eve’s hands gripped the sheets as she moved further down.

Villanelle looked up, their eyes locking. Eve could tell she was silently asking for permission, so she nodded her head slightly. The blonde moved faster now, her hands smoothing down Eve’s body, so they rested on her thighs, wrapping around them securely. Villanelle settled on the bed, so her head was inches from Eve’s core. She maintained eye contact with Eve as she dipped her head down and licked up Eve’s folds. The motion was tantalizingly slow but exhilarating at the same time. Eve threw her head back and let out a low moan.

“Oh, I knew you were going to be loud.” Villanelle smirked, her eyes darkening.

“Shut up, you dick.” Eve shot back, scrunching her eyes closed.

She could feel Villanelle smile against her as she went in for another slow lick. She stared to lap at Eve’s pussy, revelling in how she tasted. Eve lifted her head to look down at the blonde, watching in amazement as her eyes fell close and her head started to move methodically.

Villanelle moved her mouth up to Eve’s clit and sucked on it gently. Eve sucked air in through her teeth, feeling her hips buck against the blonde’s face. Villanelle moved her hand and ran two fingers through Eve’s folds, teasing Eve for a moment before slowly inserting them inside of her. Eve bit her lip and felt her eyes roll back in her head.

“You like that baby?” Villanelle purred, moving her fingers at a steady pace. Eve could feel her walls clench around them. She nodded groggily, her head starting to spin at the sensation. Villanelle shifted so she was propped up on the bed, her fingers still pumping in and out of Eve.

“Tell me how much you wanted me to fuck you,” Villanelle commanded, her voice low but strong.

Eve nodded, trying to find the words but struggling when Villanelle’s fingers curled inside of her, hitting her in the right spot. She could feel the wetness gush out of her, making Villanelle tut. “Tell me, Eve.”

“I wanted you to fuck me _so bad_ ,” Eve gasped. Her hand moving to Villanelle’s hair, tugging on the roots. Villanelle let out a hiss, her eyes locking with Eve. “Ever since Berlin, I just wanted to know how you felt inside of me…. Fuck you’re so amazing.”

“More Eve.” Villanelle said, her hands working faster. Her thumb started to circle Eve’s clit. “Tell me more.”

“You’re rude… and hot… and cocky…” Eve managed to get out with each thrust of Villanelle’s fingers. She was quickly coming undone, “You’re so _sexy_.”

“Mmhmm,” Villanelle hummed, her eyes glinting at Eve’s words. She picked up a steady rhythm, pumping her fingers in and out of Eve’s pussy.

Eve gasped. Her eyes clenching shut as her back arched against the mattress. She felt her pussy stretch as Villanelle inserted a third finger. “ _Fuuuck.”_

“Cum for me, Eve.” Villanelle purred. She moved up the bed, so she was level with Eve, her hand still moving at a heady pace. Eve opened her eyes and looked into Villanelle’s. They were shining with excitement… and something else.

“I’m…almost there,” Eve gasped. She placed her hand on the blonde’s shoulder squeezing it tight. Villanelle brought her hand up and placed it over Eve’s, hazel eyes staring into hers as she shifted Eve’s hand, so it rested on her throat. Eve clenched her hand and watched as a smile broke across Villanelle’s face, the blonde’s eyes rolled back in her head and she let out a moan of pleasure.

Villanelle curled her fingers inside of Eve, pressing her thumb hard onto her clit. Eve felt a wave of pleasure crash into her as she reached her peak. She felt her head throw back against the bed and heard herself let out a loud moan. Villanelle kept pumping her fingers slowly as Eve came down from her orgasm.

Eventually Villanelle slid her fingers out, bringing them up to her lips and licking Eve’s wetness off of them. Eve watched her tantalizingly slow movements, in awe of how hot Villanelle looked. She pulled Villanelle down for a deep kiss and could taste herself on the blonde’s lips. Niko was _never_ this hot.

Eve let out a long sigh. The mind-blowing orgasm that Villanelle had given her had taken the last energy that Eve had left in her system, and Eve could feel the exhaustion from her sleepless-night settle onto her. The adrenaline that was fuelling her had dissipated, the tension holding her body up was gone and now all she wanted to do was sleep.

Villanelle’s fingers lightly traced her exposed skin, as her eyes watched Eve intently. Eve couldn’t keep her eyes open, she just laid there and revelled in how amazing Villanelle’s hands felt. “I’m tired.”

“I can see that.” Villanelle chuckled, her fingers tucking Eve’s still damp hair behind her ear.

“That was…”

“Amazing. I know.”

Eve managed to crack an eye open at Villanelle, to see her cocky grin. Eve couldn’t help the rush of warmth that spread across her chest. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she had a soft spot for the psychotic assassin.

“ _Asshole._ ” Eve whispered. Settling further into the soft mattress, she felt her eyes grow heavy and let herself be lulled to sleep at the feeling of Villanelle’s fingers tracing her skin. 

* * *

Villanelle woke that after noon to an empty bed. She furrowed her brow and got up, scanning the apartment to find that Eve was gone. She frowned, her brow furrowing at the unfamiliar feeling of disappointment. This was the first time one of her lovers had left without saying goodbye. 

Of course, Villanelle shouldn’t have assumed that Eve was going to stick around after finding out that she was a world-class assassin. Even after she had given her a mind-blowing orgasm.

She moved back into her bedroom and plunked herself back onto the bed. There was still the lingering smell of sex in the air, and Villanelle felt a little smirk twitch up on her lips. She revelled in the memory of how Eve felt around her fingers, the feeling of Eve’s hand grabbing her throat, the feeling of Eve’s pussy clenching around her fingers as she came. Villanelle smiled, touching her fingers to her lips, knowing that Eve wanted Villanelle as much as she wanted her.

Villanelle looked to the corner of the room and noticed that Eve had left her suitcase behind. Her ugly handbag was gone though. She rose from her spot on the bed and grabbed the suitcase. She unzipped it and tutted as she pulled out one of the ugliest scarfs she had ever seen.

“Oh, Eve, this is no _good._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I will continue with Villanelle's POV in the next chapter, seeing as this one was not as long as I hoped it to be


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